JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Meteo Rain
by WonderfulMadness
Summary: In a world that survived Made In Heaven, a young girl tries to live up to the bizarre, fantastic legacy of her family. But with old and new enemies appearing all over the place, what can one person do? Shizuka Joestar makes her stand, to prove she can bear the weight of the Joestar line!
1. Shizuka Joestar!

**So, another new project. This one inspired by several stories I've seen featuring Shizuka Joestar, our favourite invisible baby. That, and the fact that the JJBA category on this site seems far too underwhelming for such a mad romp through the ages. Hopefully, I'll come up with something more or less unique for this.**

 **The beginning of this chapter features dialogue taken directly from the ending of Part 2- you know, what, you'll know what it is when you see it.**

 **OoOoO**

 ** _February 28th, 1939_**

 _"NO! YEARGH!" A voice cried, unheard amidst the near-vacuum the speaker had found itself in. "This… the void of space!_

 _"Don't panic, just find the Earth!" He admonished himself, suppressing his panic as hollow tubes of bone ripped their way out of the flesh on his back. "I can use the air inside my body to change my trajectory… Once I make it back to solid ground, I will tear that fool apart!"_

 _If someone were very close at that moment, they would be able to hear a slight hiss as gases were forced through the tube, slowing the speaker's escape from Earth's gravitational pull. And they would also be able to see the frost spreading across the man's back, icicles forming from frozen air._

 _What they would not hear, however, was the internal screams as he felt his entire body freeze in the near Absolute-Zero temperatures!_

 _'NO! IT'S NOT WORKING! I-I'M FREEZING!' He struggled vainly, his muscles locking in place, even as scythe-like blades forced themselves out of his forearms. His shoulder blades shuddered before erupting into magnificent feathered wings, which iced over almost instantly._

 _'The air around me… it turns to ice the moment it leaves my body! I-I can't alter my path! ROOOAAAARRRRGGGHHH!'_

 _So ended Kars, the so-called 'perfect lifeform', defeated by a young and brash warrior, and rejected by the very planet he called home. His body turned hard as rock, forming an impregnable shield to preserve his life. Though he begged for death, there was nothing out there to kill him._

 _Eventually, the spark of intelligence, the very core of his knowledge, will and being, sputtered out, and he ceased thinking altogether._

 _It was truly the end of his existence._

 _Or so the story went in many worlds._

 _In one, however, Kars would eventually be struck by a ball of ice and stone. Though it was not enough to damage his form, the sheer impact sent him spiralling in an entirely different direction, his new orbit bringing him dangerously close to the origin of his unplanned, unwelcome flight._

 _Perhaps this was 'fate', that Kars, fragments of that glittering golden meteor still embedded in his stone flesh, would find himself once again approaching the Earth?_

 _And deep within his very soul, within a mind that had long since ceased to be, a single name echoed, the product of animal instinct and hatred for the one who had defeated him._

 _The memory of his hated foe's appearance, his scent, his voice, all wiped clean from Kars' memories. All that remained was the name._

 _'Jojo…'_

OoOoO

 **March 7th, 2013**

In the penthouse apartment, on the top floor of Pendleton Tower, Manhattan, the morning light was just beginning to spread across the bedroom. As the rays reached the edge of the bed, a pair of bright green eyes slowly opened, their owner smiling softly as he took in the sight of the woman next to him.

"Good morning, Suzi." he mumbled, the light making its way over to his wife and gently rousing her from sleep. Her own blue eyes flicked open, eventually focusing on her husband's as she mimicked his smile.

"Good morning, Jojo," she yawned, blinking away the last vestiges of sleep. "What time is it?"

Joseph Joestar groaned, reaching over to his bedside cabinet to grab the glasses on top, making a show of checking his watch. "About seven thirty... it won't be long now."

Suzi giggled, sounding much younger than ninety-two. "Ah, well. It keeps us young, doesn't it?" A faint thudding echoed from the hall outside, prompting another quiet laugh. "Three... two..."

Joseph grunted, shakily pushing himself to a seated position. "One." he finished, as the door swung open and a teenager bounced in.

"Happy anniversary!" Shizuka Joestar cried, two trays of food floating into the room behind her and placing themselves in front of the elderly couple. "Me and Achtung made you breakfast!"

"You... did?" Suzi asked hesitantly, managing to find her own glasses after a few minutes of scrambling around. "What about-?"

"I didn't try anything crazy this time, Mom! Tonio sent me some recipes, and I stuck to the instructions, I swear! Achtung, back me up!" the black-haired girl turned to stare at something the other side of the bed. After a moment of silence, she pouted, pulling her sunglasses down to cover her eyes. "Fine, be that way. What time is Josuke's plane coming in, Dad?"

Joseph coughed at that, something flickering around his hand as he took a drink. "What? When'd you hear that?"

Shizuka rolled her eyes, smirking. "Yeah, if you wanna keep a secret, don't tell Okuyasu. I heard him telling Josuke not to get a taxi after what happened in Italy," she paused, the air shimmering behind her. "What _did_ happen in Italy, anywa-?"

"Nothing!" Joseph interrupted, his smile just a little too wide. "Just tourist stuff, one of their friends got mugged or something."

"Ookaaay..." his daughter drawled, waving her hands. "Well, whatever, enjoy your breakfast. We've got a big day coming up!"

OoOoO

"Hey, Jeeves," Shizuka grinned at the middle-aged man stood in the hall outside their apartment, his bushy red moustache bristling at her tone. "What's up?"

"Ms. Joestar, I have told you several times that my _name_ is Mr. Rollins. Now, I need to speak with your father urgently regarding the Foundation." he blustered, attempting to push past her.

"Ah-ah-ah!" Shizuka held out a hand, looking almost straight up to face him directly. "He's getting ready for today. You can wait in the kitchen 'til he's ready." she stated bluntly, her sunglasses making her expression harder to read.

Rollins made to push her aside, only for something to firmly deflect his hand away from her. "Ms. Joestar, I've already told you that your father is needed urgently. Now please move aside, before I have to move you myself." he ground out, before her expression shifted, somehow making the teenager look much more dangerous without any of her features changing.

"Is that a threat, Jeeves?" she asked, her voice level. "I told you, you can wait in the kitchen. Dad won't be able to do anything to help the Foundation until he's ready for today. So either you leave a message and get out of our home, or you wait. In. The. Kitchen. 'Kay?"

Rollins forced himself not to snap at the girl. He hated people like that, who threw around their families' influence and got away with it, when honest, hard-working men like himself were just whipping boys for the rich and famous. "Fine then. But, as this is a matter of security, I will have to insist that you not be present for the meeting." Having said his piece, he finally brushed past the girl, who was now frowning at him.

"Anata wa, bakadesu..." Rollins whipped around at the muttering, in a language he couldn't understand.

"What did you say to me-" he demanded, only remembering himself at the last second. "...Ms. Joestar? I'm afraid I must have misheard you."

"Oh, no problem, I just said; Lei, signore, sei un coglione." she rattled off, a wide grin stretching across her face. She knew. She _knew_ he didn't speak Italian, or whatever the other language was, and was blatantly insulting him.

"Ms. Joestar, perhaps I wasn't clear. I wished to know what your statement actually _means_ , not a direct translation."

Shizuka leaned against the door, feeling secure thanks to the second presence buzzing inside her. "Trust me, Jeeves, you'll be happier not knowing. Kitchen's on your left, by the way."

Rollins tried not to growl at the girl. She always made a game of pushing his buttons, and he knew it. If she didn't grow up soon, her smart mouth would get her into trouble-

"Eh? Richard?" Joseph greeted him, hobbling into the kitchen with the help of his cane. "What are you doing here?"

Rollins sent a last disdainful look out to the hall before he spoke, Joseph making his way over to the coffee maker. "Twenty four hours ago, the Foundation Deep Storage facility was broken into..."

OoOoO

A grumbling noise seemed to come from nowhere as Suzi Q entered the living room, along with the sound of pacing footsteps. " _Bambina_ , what are you doing? You shouldn't be spying on your father when he's in a meeting like this."

Shizuka suddenly appeared in the middle of the room. "Mom! I'm not a little kid anymore! Stop calling me Bambina!"

"Oh, don't be like that, sweetheart. I still call Holly my baby, don't I? It's a perk of being a mother. Your babies are your babies, no matter how big they get. Now, stop messing with Achtung Baby and sit down with your Mama." Suzi gestured to the couch beside her own chair. Shizuka flopped down on the cushions with a pout, the ones beside her deflating under an invisible presence at the same time.

Suzi hummed quietly, something occurring to her. "Shizuka?"

"What's up, Mom?"

"Tell me about Achtung Baby. Jojo's told me about Stands before, but I've always wondered what yours was like. I can't believe I've forgotten to ask for so long."

Shizuka blinked, sitting up straight and glancing over at the place where her Stand was sat. "Uh, sure, I guess. What do you want to know first?"

"Start simple. What does she look like?"

Shizuka took in the full view of her Stand, slouched on the couch cushions. Achtung Baby seemed to be around her own age (obviously), with a similar build to herself. The Stand's entire body was concealed by what looked like a white jumpsuit, a white helmet with a dark pink visor, heavy black-and-pink gauntlets, and a fluffy, bushy scarf resembling a feather boa in multiple shades of pink, from darker magenta to almost-white.

"Oh, wow..." Suzi breathed, Shizuka belatedly realising that she'd spoken aloud. "Oh, sometimes I wish I could see them for myself."

"Really? I would've thought you'd be happy not to. Dad told me how sick Holly and Josuke got when they got their Stands."

"Well, sometimes it just seems unfair, that everyone else in our family gets to see them and I don't," Suzi pouted slightly, before freezing. "I-I mean, how you and Jojo can see them." Shizuka raised a brow, glancing at Suzi over the top of her shades.

"Mom? Why are you being weird?"

Suzi was spared from having to answer by Joseph's appearance. His eyes were shadowed, dark in a way she hadn't seen since his return from Egypt, all those years ago. "Jojo?" she ventured, as Rollins made his way past them.

"It's... fine. Just... some Foundation assets have gone missing. Old ones, from back when Uncle Speedwagon was still around. I'll need to let Jotaro know, he's still in Florida-" Joseph stopped short as Rollins abruptly lost his footing, tripping over thin air and crumpling to the ground.

With a grunt, the Foundation worker stood back up, hastily fixing his suit and hair. "If Mr. Kujo had left the Foundation a way to contact him, I wouldn't have had to involve you, Mr. Joestar. In any case, have him contact us as soon as possible. You have my number already." he gritted out, turning on his heel and leaving at a brisk pace.

"You shouldn't use your Stand like that, Shizuka. Especially not against someone who's on our side." Joseph admonished his daughter.

Shizuka shrugged, trying not to wilt under the half-hearted glare. "He might work for the Foundation, but I wouldn't say he's on our side. He's got no respect for our family."

Joseph opened his mouth again, only to close it with a sigh. "Look, just go grab your jacket. I've got a car waiting downstairs for us, and I want to get to the airport early."

The girl barely even heard the last part of what he said, instead bounding out to her own room and leaving her parents behind. As soon as she was out of earshot, Suzi stood up, frowning at her husband.

"What is it? The Foundation wouldn't come to find you unless it was serious. It- it's not Dio, is it?"

Joseph shook his head, shakily raising his prosthetic hand to his face. "No, Jotaro made sure we wouldn't have to face him ever again. But... God help me... I-I almost wish it was." He met her gaze, faint traces of fear visible in the green eyes.

"Santana's gone missing."

OoOoO

"Yo, Rosas!" Shizuka greeted the young man outside as she helped her father down the steps of Pendleton Tower. "You're back!"

"Hey, kid. Good morning, Mr. Joestar," the driver smiled politely. "My parents send their regards. Grandma's feeling better, too."

"That's good to hear, Alex. I can't imagine how hard it was for her..." Joseph shook the blond man's hand, climbing into the back seat with some difficulty. Shizuka bounced in after him, jumping through to the front seat in an impressive display of acrobatics.

"Eager as always, kid," Rosas grinned, straightening his cap. "Now, sit back and enjoy the ride. Our next stop will be JFK International Airport." With practiced ease, he shifted into gear, moving seamlessly into the lines of traffic and turning south.

"Man, I haven't seen Josuke in _ages_ ," Shizuka grinned. "At least this time he won't be laid up in bed the whole time. You ever going to tell me what happened to him in Florida?"

"It's not my call to make. That's up to Jotaro and Josuke himself, if either of them _want_ you to know about it."

She scoffed, using her glasses in place of a hairband to stop her bangs from falling into her eyes. "Great! So either I get Mr. Anti-social to say more than two words, or I have to get around the 'Big Brother knows best' thing Josuke's got going on."

Joseph glanced over the newspaper he was reading to deliver a ' _look_ '. "Sarcasm doesn't suit you, sweetheart."

"Come on, Mom taught me Italian, I wanted to learn your first language as well. It's part of my heritage, right?"

He sighed deeply, turning to look at Rosas. "I suppose I brought this on myself, didn't I?"

"I couldn't possibly say, Mr. Joestar." was the reply, along with a grin that said much more than the words with it. Joseph scoffed, pulling up the paper to hide his own smile.

"Traitors, the lot of you..." he grumbled good-naturedly. For a while, the trio sat in comfortable silence, leaving behind the skyscrapers as they made their way through Queens. As they approached the airport, however, Shizuka cleared her throat.

"So, Dad... Did Jeeves want you because of Stands?" she asked, keeping her face blank as she turned back to look at him. "'Cause, no offence, but I don't know why else they'd need you."

Joseph froze, the action so unlike her usually easygoing father that it startled her. "Shizuka, this isn't something you need to worry about."

"Which means it totally is," she countered immediately. "Dad, I know what Jotaro does for the Speedwagon Foundation. I know what _you_ used to do for them. Wouldn't it be easier if you just told me what's going on? I mean, maybe I can help. I've got a Stand too-"

"Shizuka." Joseph's voice was firm, with a slight set to his jaw that meant he wasn't going to back down. "There are worse things out there than rogue Stands. Things that I'd hoped were finished with. Things I have no intention of letting _near_ my family, least of all you. You're only fourteen."

"But I-"

"I know you've got an incredible level of control over Achtung's abilities. But I need you to promise. Don't pry into this. I'll share some of it with you when I tell Josuke, but you're not getting involved any further, alright?"

"Fine..."

Joseph was unmoved. "Shizuka. Promise me."

"Okay, okay, I promise," she conceded, sitting back down in her seat and glancing to her side. Achtung Baby shimmered into visibility briefly, just long enough for Shizuka to see her crossed fingers, before she disappeared to... wherever Stands went when they weren't following people around.

Well, it wasn't like a little white lie was going to hurt anyone, was it?

OoOoO

"Okay, Rosas, we'll probably be gone for at least a couple hours," Joseph grunted, using the car door to steady himself until Shizuka passed him his cane. "You can consider yourself on break 'til then."

"Mr Joestar, I have no problem coming with you as soon as I find somewhere to park-" the driver tried, only for a raised hand to cut him off almost immediately. Joseph leaned in conspiratorially.

"Look, consider it a favour to me. It's not often I'm doing well enough to bring Shizuka out, just the two of us, at least not recently," he muttered, eyes glancing sideways to where Shizuka was waiting impatiently, rocking back and forth on her feet. "Both of us have phones, we'll let you know when we're done, alright?"

"Understood, Mr Joestar," the younger man sighed, looking sympathetic. "Perhaps I've forgotten a couple of errands I need to run. I'll be back as soon as they're completed?"

"Perfect-"

"Come on, Dad!" Shizuka called, bouncing back over to the car. "I wanna get a look around before Josuke gets here!"

"I'm ready, don't worry," her father shook his head. "I guess this must be karma for all the stress I put Granny Erina through."

OoOoO

"Which gate is it again?" Joseph asked to thin air. The crowd was huge, hundreds of people milling around, with some of them seeming to stumble whenever they came too close to the old man.

"Come on, Dad, I think I see him," came the hissed reply from nowhere, as Shizuka darted ahead invisibly, clearing a path for her father to take. "Oi, Josuke!"

Her target, a tall, well-built Japanese man with his hair styled into an elaborate pompadour, started in surprise as he caught sight of Joseph. "Hey, Dad! Hey, sis!" he grunted as Shizuka materialised again, grabbing him in a hug. "Oh, man, you're a lot stronger than I remember..."

"You're looking well, I see," Joseph commented, looking the younger man up and down. "How's the leg?"

"Better, yeah. At least I'm not stuck with the cane anymore..." Josuke grinned at Joseph's halfhearted glare. The expression made him look much younger than thirty, almost like a teenager, if it weren't for the faint lines and scars visible on his face.

"You know, one of these days, you're gonna need to tell me what the hell happened in Florida," Shizuka grumbled, though she couldn't keep her excitement hidden. "How long are you going to stay with us, bro?"

Her brother tapped his chin thoughfully. "I mean, Okuyasu and Koichi have things handled back in Morioh, so..."

"Hell yes! That means I'll finally be able to show you around the city!" Shizuka burst out, drawing the crowd's attention to the three of them.

One of their impromptu audience approached, a teenager from the looks of him, holding out a small square of leather towards them. "Hey, I've been looking for you, sir," he greeted Joseph, a half-smile tugging at his lips. "I passed you earlier - is this your wallet? Someone dropped it..."

Joseph smiled back at the young man, taking in his short, spiked hair and crumpled, ill-fitting clothes. "Ah, I'm afraid not, though I appreciate the attempt."

"S-Sir?"

Joseph chuckled gruffly. "You think you're the first person to try one of these tricks on me? I've caught more pickpockets and thieves than you'd believe, kid."

The boy shook his head, pocketing the wallet with a flourish. "Can't blame a guy for trying to make a living, can you?"

"Keep your hands where we can see them," Josuke warned him, looking very intimidating all of a sudden. "Like the old man said, we've seen better."

"Oh, I doubt that - Kidding, kidding! Jeez, some people," the newcomer held up his hands in surrender when Josuke took a step forwards. "Look, I'll get out of your way, alright? Man, you're way too intense for me..." he muttered, sidestepping away and vanishing into the crowd.

"Man, we almost got caught out like Koichi did way back when..." Josuke mumbled, before turning back to Joseph and putting his hands in his jacket pockets. "We better go pick up my luggage, Dad. I don't want to get stuck borrowing your shirts like last time-" he paused, pulling out a familiar brown square with a slip of paper poking out of it.

 _'Told you you hadn't seen better~ - :P'_

"SON OF A BITCH!" Josuke burst out, patting his pockets. "Shit, he got my wallet! Dad, check your pockets!"

Joseph hurried to comply, managing to find a twenty dollar bill wrapped around another note. "Wha- How the hell did he do that?"

 _'Felt bad about this, maybe you can get a cab home? - ;]'_

"That absolute..." Joseph bit out, before he noticed something else, even more pressing. "Josuke?"

"I'll have to kick the shit out of him-!"

"Josuke!"

"What?"

"Where's Shizuka?"

"...Ah, _shit_."

OoOoO

"Man, those guys were pretty loaded, no wonder they were so paranoid..." the thief muttered to himself, rifling through bills as he stepped outside. "Nearly a thousand dollars for five minutes' work? Man, I'm good."

"Not good enough," a voice hissed in his ear, before something collided with his midsection and knocked him to his knees. "Caught a glimpse of your Stand when you tried to vanish into the crowd. Now, you gonna give back what you stole? Depending on your answer, I might have to kick your ass!"

"Who the fuck are you?" he coughed out, as the teenage girl who'd been with his targets flickered into visibility, striking a dramatic pose as a translucent form appeared behind her.

"I'm Shizuka Goddamn Joestar."

OoOoO

 **So, that's the first chapter of this, something that I've been wanting to put together for a while. If anyone's interested, I'll keep going with it.**

 **Anyway, catch you next time!**


	2. Vs Piano Man!

**On to the second chapter, and we're gonna have Shizuka in her first major fight.**

 **For this story, any question or comment replies will be found at the end of the chapter, as suggested on my other stories, but I was too far in to change the format at that point.**

 **Another thing to note is the little flashback section at the start. I'm going to be using these to put together scenes either exploring the changes that happened to create this AU, or just my own headcanon for the series.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **OoOoO**

 **March 17th, 2012**

 _"Hello?" Josuke groaned, sitting up in bed to answer his phone. "Who-?"_

 _"Josuke," came a hoarse voice, one that he couldn't immediately place. "You need to get the next plane to Florida."_

 _"Florida? Like, Disneyland?" Josuke rubbed furiously at his eyes. "Wait, Jotaro? What the hell's going on? Last I heard, you were in a coma."_

 _"One of Dio's followers is planning on completing Dio's plans, and it's all starting in Florida, so I need you to get here."_

 _"Jotaro, it's, it's like three in the morning, and I won't be able to get a ticket until tomorrow morning at the earliest."_

 _"Jolyne's going after him."_

 _The Japanese man blinked at the sudden change in Jotaro's voice, only barely audible. "Your daughter?"_

 _"She's going after him, and I'm not strong enough to protect her."_

 _Josuke paused. "Can you book the tickets? I'll head over to the airport as soon as I can, and I can bring Koichi and Okuyasu with me?"_

 _"The Foundation will have a plane waiting for you outside Morioh, I'll send you the coordinates," Jotaro sounded a little more relaxed, compared to the beginning of the call. "...Josuke..."_

 _"What's up?" the younger man groaned, throwing on some clothes with difficulty, the phone held between his ear and shoulder._

 _"..."_

 _"Oh-_ Oh! _" Josuke exclaimed in realisation. "You're welcome, Jotaro." He didn't get an answer to that, beyond a quiet click and a dial tone._

OoOoO

"What the fuck is that?" Shizuka's opponent gaped. "You've got a spirit, too?"

"Achtung Baby!" she cried, her Stand rushing forwards and launching a few quick jabs to test his defences. "So, you've never met any other Stand users before?" she flicked her sunglasses down over her eyes. "Looks like I have the advantage, then."

"YUYUYUYUYUTUU!" Achtung Baby bellowed, pushing him further and further back with each punch, but never committing to any attacks in full.

"Ah, goddamnit," the thief hissed, glancing down at the bruises formin- "WHAT THE FUCK?"

His arms were... torn to shreds, patches gouged out of them to the point where he could see the bone and muscle under the skin. His left hand was missing two fingers entirely.

"If you're not careful, Achtung Baby'll make your whole body vanish into nothing," Shizuka grinned evilly, a faint, flickering aura surrounding her whole body. "Now give back what you stole, and I'll turn you back to normal."

"...You said your name was Joestar, right?" the thief muttered quietly. "You should be careful, giving away your identity like that." He held both hands up in front of him, palms facing away from Shizuka. She paused, waiting to see what he would do, only for him to flip one of them towards her, holding...

"That's my phone! How did you-?"

"You need to keep a closer eye on your things, miss Joestar. Now, it seems _I_ have the advantage, no?"

"Like hell! Achtung, finish him off!"

"YUTU!" Achtung charged ahead, throwing a punch as her opponent tore off his jacket, using it like a bullfighter's cape and just barely dodging the attack-

"Gotcha, kid!" the young man grinned, as a black-clad arm shot out from under the cloth and buried itself in Achtung's side.

Shizuka coughed, feeling the impact reflected onto her own body. "So that's your Stand, then?" she managed, taking it in in full.

The Stand looked almost like a human, if you ignored the unnaturally thin limbs. Its body was entirely covered by, of all things, a black three-piece suit marked with bands white, dark... shoes, maybe, and white shoes. Its head, though, was another story, being completely covered by a white porcelain helmet, a mocking smile carved on the front.

"So, what, you're a waiter?" she snapped, flinching as it waved a hand over its face, the marking being replaced by an exaggerated crying expression.

"You said your Stand is Achtung Baby? Huh, makes me feel better about mine," chuckled the opponent, his Stand turning that crying face to its user. "Don't give me that look. You have to admit, Piano Man sounds a little... off, doesn't it?"

Piano Man clutched a hand to its chest in an exaggerated motion as Shizuka called Achtung back to her. It threw the jacket up with a flourish, letting it fall back down on top of the Stand itself, and fall to the ground as though the spirit wasn't hovering there at all.

"Ah, well, he's pretty shy most of the time, so I kind of expected that," the thief shook his head. "Now, I think you were looking for this?" he held up the phone with a grin, his arms returned to normal by her lapse in concentration.

"Give it back, asshole!" Shizuka snarled, this time rushing forwards along with Achtung, intent on taking him off-guard. One hand stretched out to her side, making contact with Achtung's fingertips-

-she rushed ahead, the colours of the world muted as she grinned at her opponent's shock. She kicked out, knocking his leg from under him, allowing the still-visible Achtung to grab the phone before it could hit the ground. Shizuka grinned as the phone took on the same hazy outline as her own body, lunging for her second target.

"J-Joel Williams..." she mumbled, having to squint to make out the ID in the wallet she'd managed to lift out of his pocket. "Man, not a good picture of you, is it?"

"Invisibility, then?" Joel confirmed, ducking back from the source of her voice. "Whatever your Stand touches turns invisible, but I'm guessing you can still see it."

At her silence, he continued talking, his eyes flicking over and back. "But if you get shocked, like when Piano Man landed a hit, it becomes visible again. Meanwhile, I've got a few tricks up my sleeves still. Like this one." he grinned, pulling out a bag of flour from his jacket, despite their being no way for it to have been there in the first place.

"Piano Man!" he cried, his Stand materialising from behind him and grabbing the bag. In a blindingly quick motion, it tore a gash in the side of the container, and immediately slammed it on the ground, the dust flying everywhere on impact. "Now, I've got you back to normal, how about we call it even? I'll even give you back the wallets I lifted. Fighting like this is a real pain."

"You think... it's that easy?" Shizuka spat, pulling her collar to the side and returning to visibility. Where her neck and shoulder met, a splash of colour was visible, in the form of a slightly smudged five-pointed star. "See this? This is the symbol of the Joestar family. If I let someone like you run around after attacking my family, I'd be bringing shame to generations of badasses!"

"Okay, whatever..." Joel rolled his eyes. "Then I guess I'll have to go all-out. Man, I hate having to do this..." he muttered grimly, Piano Man looming over him with a sadistic grin. Shizuka pushed away the sense of unease bubbling up inside her as Williams' aura flared around him. "So, you're not afraid? Interesting. In that case... _See you!_ "

The Joestar blinked as his intimidating aura vanished, watching him sprint away at full speed. "Wait, what? GET BACK HERE!"

OoOoO

"You sure you're up for this?" Josuke asked Joseph, frowning at the lack of response from his cell phone. "If we just look for her ourselves..."

"No time. If that guy's dangerous, we can't afford to wait around," Joseph took a few deep breaths, golden sparks coiling around his biological hand. "Even though she's good with her Stand, Shizuka's never been in a real fight. So this is the best option - Hermit Purple!"

Purple vines sprouted from his arm, jumping across to his phone and channelling the golden energy into it. With a hiss of static, the screen lit up, forming a grainy image of Shizuka and Achtung Baby facing off against the pickpocket and a blurry, black-and-white figure. The pickpocket turned abruptly, taking off at a run as the image flickered in and out of focus.

"Shit, they're outside, and it looks like that guy has his own Stand," Joseph swore, squinting to try and see the screen. "I think I know where that is... head around to the left and take the second door. I'll wait here, so I won't slow you down."

"You sure, Dad?" Josuke winced at the half-incredulous stare his father sent him in reply. "Right. Crazy D and I will only be a few minutes, I promise. Keep your phone on, let me know if something comes up."

The Japanese man burst into motion, his impressive height and even more impressive glare clearing a path to the exit. Joseph coughed quietly, his phone flickering off until he could restart his Ripple breathing rhythm. The image was even harder to make out this time, flashes of static and of electric blue interrupting the 'video' until the screen completely shifted to the unnatural blue.

"What the-?" he wondered, only for a sickly yellow eye to appear in the middle of the image, flashing side-to-side as though the owner were convulsing.

"A second Stand?!" he cried, as electricity arced from his hand to the device, pain shooting through his arm as it grounded into him. "Gah!" he clenched his jaw, feeling his muscles lock up and grip the device even tighter.

"H-Hermit P-Purple!" he stuttered out, the vines wrapping once, twice around his wrist before stretching across and embedding itself in the wall. The current was diverted through his Stand, allowing him to reach over with his prosthetic and pry his fingers loose. His phone dropped to the floor with a crash of breaking glass.

" _Kekeke... Didn't think I'd meet someone interesting here..."_ hissed a high-pitched voice, a blue imp bursting out of the remains of the device and bouncing up to cling to the lights overhead. _"Too bad I'm on the job, I'd have liked to see what you can do, old guy. Catch you later!"_

In a flash, it somehow folded itself into the light, the bulb shattering and showering glass down on top of Joseph. He clenched a fist, wincing as the burns on his hand made themselves known.

"Shizuka... Josuke..."

OoOoO

Shizuka skidded to a halt as she took in her surroundings. Williams had vanished as they'd approached a maintenance shed behind the main terminal. Her adrenaline was pumping, and Achtung all-too-ready to act on it.

"YUTUU!" the spirit roared, warping the door with the impact of its punches and knocking it off its hinges. The entire building was dark, with only a few thin beams of sunlight providing any illumination.

"My God, kid, you really have no sense of restraint, do you?" Williams deadpanned from somewhere above her. Shizuka tapped Achtung's hand, fading back into invisibility in a second. "I'm pretty sure that wasn't even locked."

"Vai a quel paese, stronzo!" Shizuka spat at him, throwing her voice as best she could. There was a walkway overhead, just close enough that Achtung could reach it, with supports leading down to... there!

"...Yeah, I've got no idea what you just said." Williams drawled. The shadows seemed to ripple, Piano Man lunging out and throwing a punch at Achtung, before leaping back into the darkness and vanishing without a trace.

 _'Damn, he's fast, and his Stand disappears and reappears way too quickly. Normally, it takes a couple of seconds for Achtung to come out, and the same again to vanish. He's just popping in and out instantly. Think! There has to be some kind of clue to his 'ability' here!'_ Shizuka squinted, moving sideways to try and pinpoint her enemy's position, wincing as Piano Man managed to land a kick against Achtung's leg.

This time, though, she saw him pause momentarily after dodging, slipping under a table before disappearing. _'No way... is that it? Really?'_ she twitched when another kick crashed into Achtung's arms, the phantom vibrations echoing through her own. _'Alright, I guess, time to see if I'm right-'_

"You've put up a good front, asshole, but you made one fatal mistake. Cheap tricks won't do you any good against a Joestar. Let's go wild, Achtung!" she grinned, her Stand darting back and forth, striking everything in its range. "I predict your next line will be: What are you trying to pull?"

"What the hell are you doing?" Williams burst out, becoming visible to her as the walkway he stood on turned transparent.

"Damnit! Ah well, I was close, I suppose," Shizuka pouted momentarily, before striking a pose and pointing dramatically at Joel. "Your Piano Man's pretty quick, but he can only pull his little disappearing act when he's hidden! Achtung's cut off all your hiding places, and now there's just you left! Total Visibility!"

"Shit!" he swore, Achtung punching through the floor underneath him and pulling it loose. "Piano Man!"

"RARARADEERA!" the 'suit'-clad Stand cried, its voice echoing as though from the end of a long tunnel.

"YUYUYUYUTUU!" Achtung countered, meeting every one of Piano Man's strikes with one of its own, eventually breaking through and smashing a fist into Piano Man's shoulder. The force of the blow knocked both Stand and user to the ground, Piano Man rolling back behind Joel and not reappearing.

"How-Nng! How'd you do that, when you never managed to touch me directly...?"

"You've never fought another Stand user, have you?" Shizuka taunted. "Any damage done to your Stand is reflected back on you, and vice-versa. Plus, I picked up on something else in that clash. Your Stand's not built for fighting, just for hiding. You're fast, and accurate, but you just don't have enough power to back it up. Up close like this, I've got the advantage."

"Heh, I'll admit, you've got me mostly figured out. But if you'd just humour me to answer one question... I know you can see the things you've hidden with your ability, so where is everything?"

"Huh?"

Joel stood up shakily. "The broken walkway, the tables, the equipment lockers, all that stuff you touched, where do you think it is?"

She glanced around with growing nervousness. It was true, she couldn't make out the faint outlines that marked everything Achtung had touched. With a mental twitch, she released the effect... nothing.

"You actually had the right idea. Piano Man's ability is to 'hide'. But that doesn't limit him to hiding himself. Anything in his range, if it's not being watched, he can take hold of and hide it in his own 'space'. And likewise, when _he's_ not being watched, he... brings it back out."

Something crashed down on top of Achtung, pinning the spirit to the ground under a pile of dented metal and plastic. Shizuka slammed to the ground, her vision blurring as she smacked her head against the floor. Dimly, she could sense Joel approaching, his voice distant, and in the distance, a flash of something else, much more familiar.

"... punches were just a test to make sure you were as tough as you seemed. You shouldn't have anything more than maybe a concussion," Joel's voice was softer, his expression darkened by... guilt, maybe? "Just in case, I'll call someone as soon as I leave."

"I-It hurts," she forced out, her eyes tearing up. "I can't feel my legs, and my stomach hurts so badly... Please, please, help... me..." her head lolled to the side, her expression blank. Some distance away, Achtung's struggling stopped and it went limp.

"Oh, shit. Oh, shit, no, no, no!" Joel babbled, suddenly panicking. "Piano Man, we have to check her Stand, I think it might have gotten impaled, or... Fuck! Come on, help me!"

With Stand and user together, they managed to pry Achtung free of the rubble, Joel examining the spirit's form. "Wait, there's not even a mark-" he frowned, before a hand snapped out to grab both of them by their heads.

"Gotcha," Shizuka grinned, power and triumph surging through her. "I told you, I'm a Joestar. We've been taking down Stands for generations. Now, what to do with you?"

OoOoO

"Oh My God!" Josuke yelped upon entering the building and finding Shizuka stood over a headless body, next to a pile of broken furniture. "Shizuka, what did you-?"

"I made his head invisible!" she cut him off. "I'm the only one who can see when Achtung's power is active, probably because it's, you know, _my_ power. So until I decide to let him go, he's totally blind."

"That's... creative," Josuke allowed, grimacing slightly when the thief turned towards him, the interior of his neck visible above his shirt's collar. "Wow, that's disturbing."

"I'm sure the inside of your throat isn't exactly a garden of roses, either," snarked the prisoner, the voice emanating from nowhere. "Look, can't we just cut a deal? I really don't want to go to jail over some stupid wallets."

"Quiet! You should be glad you're not already in prison!" Shizuka snapped, reaching over and slapping the back of his head. Josuke frowned and extended a hand to her, Crazy Diamond exerting its power and clearing away all of her scrapes and bruises.

"Thanks, Josuke - Wait, where's Dad?"

"He's fine, he used his Stand to find out where you two were headed. Give the kid back his head and we'll get going again. The Foundation'll figure out what to do with him. God knows we need more people for all that's going on-"

Josuke paused, all three Stand users feeling something nagging at their senses, just on the edge of hearing. Perhaps it was no surprise that with one sense taken, Joel was the first to realise what it was. "Is... that a fire alarm?"

And then the screams started.

 **...**

 **Done! So, things are heating up already!**

 **... I'll let myself out. New & updated Stands will have their stats and abilities listed at the end of each chapter from now on. Starting with;**

 **Achtung Baby (Verse II) - Shizuka Elizabeth Joestar**

Power; B - Durability; B - Speed; A - Precision; B - Range; D - Potential; B

Achtung Baby has evolved from a baby's instinctive defence to a fully-bodied Stand, at the expense of some of its staying power. It can turn objects invisible at a touch, including Shizuka or other people, and grants Shizuka the ability to 'see' while invisible or to see objects affected by its power. If Shizuka loses concentration, however, the objects return to their normal state.

 **Piano Man - Joel Williams**

Power; C - Durability; C - Speed; A - Precision; A - Range; C - Potential; C

Piano Man has access to a pocket dimension, into which it can place an unobserved object. It can later retrieve the object for Joel to use, though again, this power can only activate when no one is observing the Stand or the point where it replaces the object. Piano Man can also hide itself within the pocket dimension for short periods, allowing it to attack from implausible angles, though doing this leaves Joel vulnerable.

 **Q &A**

 **G;** Jolyne does exist, but Shizuka's never met her. Joseph knows about her(obviously), but because of how distant Jolyne was from the Kujo/Joestar side of her family, neither he nor Shizuka really know her. They mostly talked about Jotaro and Josuke because they're more familiar.

 **Chayera Hall;** I should have thought this through better, but it's actually really hard to get the fabulousness of JoJo across in a text format. Hopefully this one's a little better?

 **SaraRage;** I think a big part of it was that she'd only be 13 at most when Made in Heaven happened, so she's too young for most adventures in the first timeline.

 **...**

 **Catch you next time!**


	3. Vs Eiffel (Beginnings)

**Behold, an actual plot is afoot!**

 **The basic ideas for this story came from a JoJo's inspired RPG I ran with friends a couple of years ago. Piano Man and Eiffel were two of the first Stands I came up with for that, so I'm really glad I get to reuse them.**

 **OoOoO**

 **March 19, 2012**

 **Naples**

 _"A few messages for you, boss," drawled a bored-looking man with black hair, cut in short spikes. "Including one from America, if you can believe it."_

 _The only other man in the room cocked an eyebrow, his golden hair forming three thick curls atop his forehead while the rest swept backwards. "Mista... do my eyes deceive me, or have you brought_ four _messages at once?"_

 _Mista froze. "One, two, thr- gah! The envelopes stuck together! Shit, this is bad!"_

 _"Mista, calm down," his boss laughed quietly. "Even if the bad luck comes to pass, I can handle it, remember?"_

 _"Y-Yeah, sorry, Giorno. It's not normally that bad, but when it sneaks up on you like that..." Mista shrugged, practically throwing the letters onto Giorno's desk in his haste to get rid of them. As such, they scattered somewhat, allowing the blond to see a return address he hadn't expected near the bottom of the pile._

 _"Hm? This... the Speedwagon Foundation?" Giorno said aloud, grabbing the letter and ripping it open with finesse. Cold blue eyes scanned the entire page in a moment, calculating and calm, until a single vein made itself known, bulging out from his forehead._

 _"Whoa, Giorno, what's up?" Mista gulped, his familiarity with his boss allowing him to realise the man was growing very angry over something. "What the hell did they want?"_

 _"A request... from Jotaro Kujo, the man who killed my father," Giorno mused aloud, his aggravation seeming to fade as he spoke. "That one of my father's accomplices is targeting Kujo's daughter, attempting to carry out my father's plans to remake the world."_

 _"Shit, that's some pretty heavy stuff," Mista muttered after a moment. "Do we ignore it? I mean, if he's telling the truth-"_

 _"He is. The accomplice... he came looking for me some time ago, but not knowing my name, he found nothing."_

 _"Right, uh... so, since Kujo's telling the truth, shouldn't we stop the world from getting remade? Wouldn't that, you know, ruin everything we've managed to do so far?" he squirmed, a little uncomfortable talking about something clearly personal to the younger man._

 _Giorno glanced down at the other notes. He had so many things to keep track of as Passione's Leader... but some things were more important. "You're right, Mista. In that case, I will leave the organisation to you and Polnareff until I return. Perhaps you should call Trish, let her know you'll be late for your dinner tonight." He gave a barely-visible grin as Mista blushed._

 _"Buh-wha- Giorno, it's not like that!" his third-in-command. "She just moved to the city, I offered to show her around, that's all!"_

 _"Ah, I see," Giorno's almost-smirk didn't fade; if anything, it widened slightly. "If that's the case, perhaps you should reschedule for next week? I should be back by then."_

 _Mista blinked once, twice. "Wait, you're not going alone, are you?"_

 _A shimmer of gold budded off of Giorno's form, coalescing into the metallic-armoured form of a Stand. "We're never alone, Mista. But this... I feel this is something that only Gold Experience and I can do..."_

OoOoO

"Oh My God!" Shizuka flinched as every lightbulb in the building flared on before they all shattered, the distant hum of machinery coming to a complete stop. "Josuke, we need to find Dad!"

"Wait, what about me?" Joel asked, now having his head back, aside from his eyes. "I'm still blind here, I won't be able to do shit!"

"Fine," Shizuka snapped her fingers, her prisoner blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusted to existence again. "But if you try and screw us over, I'll let Josuke and Crazy Diamond deal with you."

Joel glanced from Shizuka to the man who had nearly a foot on Joel himself, and the incredibly powerful-looking armoured figure hovering ominously behind him. "Right."

Josuke offered a smile that didn't meet his eyes as Shizuka spoke again. "One time, he punched a guy so hard he turned into a book."

"...You know, I'm not even going to question that. Here's your wallet back. Please don't punch me."

OoOoO

"Where's the fire?" Shizuka wondered aloud, as they approached the main terminal once again. "You'd think with all the screaming and the alarms, that we'd have seen some smoke by now, at least."

"Wait... when did the screams stop?" Joel asked, paling rapidly. There was a brief pause, before the siblings broke into full-on sprints and darted past him.

"Holy..." Josuke swore as he threw the door open, staring at the sea of unconscious bodies, several of which were weakly convulsing. "What the hell happened here?"

"HRK!" Shizuka yelped as one of the bodies nearby moved, a hand stretching out to try and grab her leg. "H-help... p-poi-pois..." the old man coughed, a sickly flickering aura forming around him before his eyes rolled back in his head.

"Shit, poison?" she whispered. "J-Josuke! They've been poisoned by something."

"Crazy Diamond!" her brother roared, his Stand's healing aura jumping to everyone in range. "Oh my god, it's like their whole bodies are breaking apart all at once. I think they're safe, but..." he trailed off, reaching for the next group of victims, all of them looking strangely damp- Shizuka's hand clasped his, halting the movement.

"Wait a sec!" she hissed, pointing at the liquid pooling around them. "I don't know what that stuff is, but I'd bet it's causing the problem here."

Josuke squinted. With the lights out, it was difficult to see, but the water looked odd; metallic, and distinctly- "Bronze?" he wondered aloud. "Where did that come from?"

"Look up," Shizuka muttered, pointing at a sprinkler embedded in the ceiling, the strange liquid dripping down from it and narrowly missing Shizuka's hand. "Someone put this shit in the sprinklers, then they set off the system to get everyone."

"I've got some of it, if we can find someone who knows about this kind of thing..." Joel announced, holding up a small vial with some of the apparent poison contained inside. "It's weird, though, Piano Man won't go near this stuff. Won't even take the vial off of me."

"Really?" Now that he'd mentioned it, though... Josuke could _feel_ something from Crazy Diamond, some innate instinct to get away from the liquid. "Then, that means this might be..."

"An enemy Stand." his sister finished, glaring at Joel, who raised his hands in surrender.

"Hey, in case you've forgotten, I don't know a damn thing about any of this. You guys say you've dealt with this kind of thing before, that makes you the suspicious ones here." Shizuka stepped towards him with her fists balled, until Josuke grabbed her shoulder, holding her back.

"We need to find Dad. Shizuka, you head further in, I'll try and heal as many people as I can here," he instructed her, waiting for the grudging nod before letting her go. His gaze hardened as he flicked his eyes to Joel. "You watch her back. If she gets hurt, I'll hurt you, got it?"

"I get it, I get it! Man, you people are so mean..." Joel rummaged in his pocket, pulling out a pair of gloves and tossing them to the older man. "Take these, I don't know if your power would affect it, but you should try not to touch any of that stuff."

"Quit stalling!" Shizuka barked, picking her way across the floor, carefully avoiding any of the puddles still littering it.

"Goddamnit... I'm coming! Quit yelling at me!"

OoOoO

"This is... horrible," Joel breathed, as they rounded a corner and found another group of unconscious victims. "Is this some kind of terrorist attack?"

"Hell if I know. I've never heard of anything like this- Dad!" his captor cried, running towards the only person still standing. Joseph's arms were surrounded in purple vines, which flickered in and out of existence as he coughed harshly.

"Stay back!" he called out, his voice hoarse. "This Stand takes control of electronics and uses them to attack you!"

 _"Man, you really know how to suck all the fun out of things, old man,"_ a tinny, high-pitched voice hissed from the speakers embedded in the ceiling. _"But you did bring me some new friends to play with, so I suppose it evens out."_

A blue spark erupted from the speaker, leaping across to a screen hanging on the wall. _"Pleasure to meet you, brats. You can call me Eiffel, at least for the next few minutes."_ He cackled madly, the screen lighting up in a burst of static, a faint whine rising in pitch as the light grew brighter and brighter.

"Hermit Purple!" Joseph cried, his vines uncoiling and lashing out at the machine less than a second before it ruptured, glass shards exploding outwards. Hermit Purple's vines intercepted them before any of them could get close to the trio of Stand users.

"Nice work, Da- DAD!" Shizuka shrieked, as Joseph collapsed, clutching his chest with a bloody hand.

"Damn it... I overestimated myself," he gasped, everything else seeming to slow to a crawl when Shizuka propped him up. "I guess I just wanted to look cool one last time..."

"No, you can't die!, I-I'll get Josuke- JOSUKE! HELP!" the girl screamed, Joel helping her to lift Joseph back to his feet. Her father's breath was shallow and uneven, and with him leaning against her back, she could feel every faint, erratic beat of his heart. A mad giggle pulled her attention to the electric blue imp, hovering half in and half out of an electrical socket.

 _"Oh, so, so sad... I love these soap opera stories, the ones where they get their big final speeches. I -GLRK!"_ Eiffel taunted, before something collided with him, throwing him halfway across the room.

"Joel, you're stronger than I am. Get Dad to Josuke, _now._ " Shizuka snapped, her eyes hidden behind her sunglasses.

"Yeah, sure, sure, sure... Stupid question, what are you planning?" the pickpocket nodded, Piano Man manifesting and helping him support Joseph's form between them.

"I'm going to _break_ this bastard in half."

OoOoO

Josuke stood up, his left leg aching. He hadn't had to use Crazy Diamond's abilities so much since the crazy priest guy in Florida, and that had involved someone being inside out.

"Oi! Josuke, right? Your Dad's in bad shape!" Joel grunted, half-carrying, half-dragging the unconscious Joseph over to the healer. In the instant where Josuke turned to look at him, several things seemed to happen at once.

The near-empty sprinkler overhead, which Josuke had been keeping an eye on while he worked, released a shining, bronze droplet. Josuke's left leg, still weaker than his right even after months of physiotherapy, buckled slightly, enough that he automatically extended his arms to correct his balance. Two pairs of eyes followed the droplet as it arced downwards, landing with a quiet, unassuming 'plip'. There was a moment of stunned, shocked silence, before a positively immense aura flared around the Stand and its user.

"DORAAA!" Crazy Diamond roared, seemingly overflowing with energy. Josuke's limbs started shaking with adrenaline, almost knocking him off his feet. _'Shit! This isn't good, it feels like I'm going to burst! Got to let out some of this energy..'_

He let out a battlecry, his voice cracking as Crazy Diamond turned into a blur of fists and swirling energy, everything warping and reshaping itself around him, narrowly missing Joel - _'Wait, how-?'_ Josuke paused as something tightened in his chest, forcing him to stop and examine the situation once again.

The floor had buckled completely, forming a curved, wave-shaped surface all across the room. The fixtures embedded in the walls and ceiling had twisted, wires protruding from odd points and looping back and around one another. Raised 'tables' had appeared around him, pushing the unconscious victims away and out of range of his wrath, and Crazy Diamond was paused, one fist having narrowly missed Joel...

...who was still more than 5 meters away from Josuke himself. The tightness intensified, Crazy Diamond snapping backwards like it had been on the end of a bungee cord, until it was back to hovering protectively over its user.

His legs gave way, forcing him down onto one knee, while Joel (reluctantly) continued moving, carrying Joseph into range and allowing a shaking Crazy Diamond to heal the damage the elderly Joestar had accumulated.

He could only half-listen to Joel's rushed explanation, staring at the back of his hand, now dry once more, in confusion.

 _'What the fuck is going on here?'_

OoOoO

Shizuka strode forwards, taking in the mostly-destroyed room. Screens were smashed, lightbulbs blown, and most of the sockets partially melted. "Seems like Dad really put you through your paces."

 _"Kehehe, the old man was a lot livelier than I expected. The Bronze Rain probably helped with that. I know it gave me one hell of a rush."_

Her eyes tracked the erratic motion of the blue lightning from wall to wall. "Bronze Rain? Pretty... uninspired name for that poison stuff. Is it some kind of adrenaline drug? Gives a boost to your Stand's power?"

 _"Hmmm... pretty close, girlie,"_ Eiffel bounced off the ground next to her, Achtung's reaction a little too late. Instead of catching the little gremlin, she knocked a fire extinguisher across the room with an echoing crash. Meanwhile, her leg twitched as three small scratches appeared through the fabric of her tights, drops of blood budding on the surface. _"But it's not all sunshine and gumdrops. If you ain't strong enough, that stuff'll give you a heart attack instead. And even if you're Mr Universe, the crash after the high'll hit you like a truck. Anyone who touches this stuff isn't gonna keep fighting after the rush goes."_ He grinned widely as he continued his hit-and-run strikes, eventually leaving her covered in bloody marks along her arms and legs.

"Good to know," Shizuka smiled, her voice unnervingly chipper. "You've been really helpful, Eiffel. For that, I'm gonna make things quick."

"YUTUU!" Achtung cried, its empty hand twisting like it was throwing someth-

BOOM! The impact echoed around the room, something slamming into the wall where Eiffel had been an instant before. Shizuka's hand moved up and down, almost as though tossing a stone up and down.

"You figure it out yet? Achtung can attack you with 'invisible ammo'. And with all the stuff me, you and Dad broke, I've got no shortage of stuff to work with." Eiffel visibly gulped, lunging for the light fixture overhead, before a 'whoosh' of displaced air cut him off, the roof denting slightly when something impacted it, forcing the Imp to focus on evasion.

"I almost missed it earlier," she drawled, Achtung tossing more pieces of rubble like bullets. "But you're actually really weak. You haven't been able to move that arm since I tagged you earlier. It's making it tougher for you to move around, right? And with all the equipment busted, you don't have any more weapons. Maybe if you'd cornered me right away, you could've won this. But now?"

 _"Nononononono!"_

Shizuka struck a pose with one hand behind her back, Achtung Baby mimicking her movements and pointing a finger at Eiffel like a pistol. "You fucked up, going into a ranged fight with me. You've got no ammo, no tricks, nothing! Now I'm going to pay you back for what you did to everyone here!"

 _"I'm not done yet, brat!"_ Eiffel vanished in a blur of speed, reappearing behind her and out of reach of Achtung. _"I might not have your firepower, but a knife's as good as a gun if it's in the right place!"_

"And you're exactly where I wanted you to be." Shizuka stated with a grin, clenching the hand that had been hidden behind her. White smoke erupted from nowhere, Eiffel's sparks dying out as he touched it, choking him and calling off his attack. Shizuka pulled both hands up over her head, the extinguisher she'd hidden becoming visible once again, before she slammed it down, knocking Eiffel through the cracked tile and into the floor itself.

"Yo, Joestar, I'm here to back you up- Holy shit," Joel gaped at the destruction that had been unleashed by the petite teenager. "Okay, wow."

"I know," she smirked, before turning serious. "What happened with Dad?"

"He seemed... better, but he's still unconscious- Wait, what happened to the blue guy?"

Shizuka smirked, kicking the extinguisher onto its side and exposing the badly beaten form of Eiffel. One eye had swollen shut, and a series of cracks ran across its skin. "What d'you think?"

 _"Keh... I underestimated you, kid. And we were even warned not to, when it comes to the Joestars..."_ the Stand croaked out, barely conscious. _"Time for me to go, though."_ It forced a weak grin, blue lightning surging around it once more, vanishing into a sparking electrical cable just before Piano Man or Achtung Baby could manage to strike it.

"SHIT!" they swore in unison, as the traces of blue light vanished. Achtung Baby's effect spread across the floor in an attempt to track the motion, but to no avail.

"He got away... _Kuso_!" Shizuka spat, letting fly a mix of Italian and Japanese profanity before she steeled herself. "I need to get back to Dad. Listen... thanks, for helping. For helping Dad, and for coming back to help me."

"Oh, uh, no problem. Thanks for... not carrying out the threats you made," Joel laughed weakly. "Plus, this was... interesting. A hell of a lot better than wandering around New York and getting Piano Man to punch out muggers."

His expression fell slightly. "There's _so much_ crime in this city, it's ridiculous. Nobody should come here."

The unfiltered disappointment in his voice somehow struck Shizuka as the most hilarious thing she'd heard in a while. She snorted, briefly letting out a full-on laugh until she saw Joel holding out a hand.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot. Joel Williams, master thief, king of inventory management. Pleased to meet you."

"Snrk... Shizuka Joestar, Stand master, heir to the biggest real estate empire in America. You're such a dork."

Joel nodded, conceding the point with a grin. "Fair point. One thing..." His smile slipped. "That guy, Stand, whatever... he said he was warned about the Joestars."

"Yeah, we're pretty awesome. Some of us more than others." Shizuka preened.

"No, but... the way he said it; 'we were warned' doesn't that mean someone else is involved? That this... blue guy-"

"Eiffel."

"-Eiffel, right. It sounds almost like someone else got him to do all this, like he's part of a bigger organisation. One that knew about your family, even if they weren't expecting you to be _here._ And if they'd already found out about you guys, they're probably going to come looking for you."

Shizuka's face was carefully blank. "Then we'll just have to find _them_ first."

OoOoO

A short distance away, a short man with long, greasy hair made his way out to the parking lot, an act made far more difficult by his unresponsive arms and the blood streaming down his face. He crumpled against an unassuming saloon car, the door opening from the inside and allowing him to collapse bonelessly on the passenger seat.

"Geoffrey, glad to see you made it back," the driver commented affably. His voice was soft, with only the faintest traces of a Mexican accent. "I must apologise for not informing you earlier of the Joestars' arrival. Higashikata Josuke is one of the most dangerous opponents to fight. His sheer power combined with the versatility of his ability..." the man trailed off as Geoffrey mumbled something. "Hm? What was that?"

"I said it wasn't Higa- Higshi- It wasn't that Josuke guy. It was the girl. Shiza or Shika or whatever. Tricked me into a cloud of smoke and brained me with an extinguisher."

"Shizuka Joestar, hmm?" the driver sounded amused. "Interesting, but not unexpected. If anything, this will work out in our favour. Joseph will not allow his youngest child to go unprotected. The rest of our targets may well turn up even sooner than we thought."

Geoffrey mumbled under his breath, his consciousness fading. "Can we just get me to the hospital, boss? I'm wondering if your big plan is worth this..."

His boss chuckled softly. "You're right, of course. Try and rest. And Geoffrey?" he paused before switching the engine on fully. "It _will_ be worth it in the end. It's time the world passed over to the next step in mankind's evolution. It's the oldest choice in the universe.

"Evolve, or die."

OoOoO

 **Chapter three down, and we're getting a glimpse of a bigger plan.**

 **Stands;**

 **Eiffel - Geoffrey Jey**

Power; D - Durability; D - Speed; A - Precision; A - Range; A - Potential; C

Eiffel can integrate with any electrical device and manipulate its functions. In terms of fighting, it is mostly limited to guerrilla tactics or overloading devices to the point of exploding. However, as an information gatherer, it is invaluable, being able to spy on targets from a great distance, and its abilities can easily sabotage machinery or disable security systems that rely on electronics.

 **Stuff;**

 **Chayera Hall;** I'm glad you're enjoying it! Shizuka, in this at least, idolises Joseph and wants to be like him, but she's not got his talent for cold reading just yet. Joel is going to be hanging around for a while, considering how out of his depth he is regarding Stands. Shizuka's star is not a birthmark, and that explanation will be forthcoming soon enough.

 **G;** Jolyne's one of my favourite JoJo's, one of the top 3 along with Joseph and Josuke (4). She will eventually appear in this story proper, but not for a while.

 **621infamous;** Lisa Lisa will be appearing in at least a couple of the 'flashback' sections at the start of the chapters, and my current plan has her appearing in one within the next 2-3, depending on how I divide the chapters out.

 **Q;** No offense taken, I haven't said anything about Lisa Lisa yet anyway! Glad you're enjoying the story!

 **...**

 **That's everything for this chapter. Catch you later, guys!**


	4. Memories

**What up, people? Now we're getting ready for Act One of this thing...**

 **Hm? These first four chapters? Just a prologue. This is going to go for a while, I assure you.**

 **OoOoO**

 **December 1942**

 _Joseph leaned over the crib, wearing gloves to hide his artificial hand. Extending a finger, he frowned at the quiet whirring that the machinery made at every movement. Luckily, the baby girl curled up in a blanket didn't seem to react, still sleeping soundly._

 _"How is she?" came a soft voice from the doorway, one that made Joseph tense instinctively. He shook it off, turning to look at his moth- his former teacher._

 _"Lisa Lisa. Good to see you. How's Messina doing?"_

 _The Ripple Master approached the crib, taking up a position across from Joseph. "He's doing well. He's planning on travelling for a few years, to try and find some students of his own. I'm planning on giving Air Supplena island to him when he returns."_

 _"You planning on retiring, then?" Joseph's eyes flicked up to hers, still hidden behind a curtain of hair as she stared down at the baby._

 _"Perhaps. The Ripple was always meant to handle the Pillar Men, and now that you've handled them," she nodded to Joseph as she spoke. "Well, I can't help but feel I've fulfilled my purpose."_

 _"Bull-" Joseph bit his tongue, cutting off the swear before he could wake his daughter. "That's a load of bull, and you know it. I thought you were the legendary Ripple Master, Lisa Lisa. Shouldn't you be looking for more students yourself?"_

 _"What's gotten into you, Joseph? Did I say something wrong-"_

 _"You-" Joseph's jaw clamped shut as the baby did wake, whether from the brief noise or the hostility in the room, he couldn't say. "Oh, no... Shh, shh, Holly, it's okay, Daddy's here..." he mumbled in a soft, soothing tone, picking her up to calm her before the mewling could escalate to full-blown crying._

 _Lisa Lisa backed off as Joseph quieted the girl's crying, rocking her gently until she fell back to sleep, pudgy hands clutching his shirt. Once it was safe, she cleared her throat softly to get his attention. "Very impressive, Joseph. You've got a real talent when it comes to parenting."_

 _His eyes met hers, a hint of steel in the solemn gaze. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for Holly."_

 _She winced slightly as the implications hit her. Really, she should have predicted this. Or, at the very least, had the conversation that they were about to have much sooner. "She is a beautiful child. Holly?"_

 _"Holly Erina Joestar," Joseph confirmed. "I wanted to honour Granny Erina somehow, and lucky enough, Suzi Q loved the name too."_

 _They fell into silence for a while, Lisa Lisa slowly gathering her courage to try and bring up-_

 _"Why? Why did you never get in touch?" Joseph asked, breaking her out of her stupor. "I never even knew you were_ alive _."_

 _She sighed, taking off her gloves and scarf for the first time since entering the room. "It was too dangerous. Not only was I a wanted criminal, but there were still vampires out there who would have loved a chance to kill a Ripple Master's family."_

 _"Too dangerous for a letter? Granny Erina and Uncle Speedwagon both knew who you were,_ where _you were. Why was it only dangerous for me? Why couldn't you have left me a note, or, or even let one of them explain it?" Joseph was visibly angry now, though he managed to keep his voice low._

 _"Because I was a coward. I still am, really," she smiled weakly at his shocked expression. "I spent eight months terrified at the thoughts of what might happen to you. George wasn't... he was a natural when you were born, he could just tell instinctively what you needed. I never could. You... you'd spend hours crying because I wasn't a good enough parent to give you what you needed. And then, when your father died and I... I couldn't imagine raising you without him. I ran away, and I was too ashamed to let you know why."_

 _She absently wiped at her eyes, where a few stray tears had built up despite her best efforts. "Erina was a better mother to you than I could ever have been. I'm s-sorry, Joseph." She kept her voice level despite the lump in her throat. This needed to be said, even if he'd never forgive her for it..._

 _"Ugh, I still say you should have told me_ something _," he grunted, before letting out a deep sigh. "But... I get it, I think."_

 _"There was a while, just after Holly was born, when I was holding her, and I... I realised all of a sudden that I was responsible for this... this whole other life. I was freaking out, and she was crying..."_

 _Lisa moved, sitting on the second chair next to Joseph's own. "What changed?"_

 _He gave her a weary half-smile. "Uncle Speedwagon came in. He told me how proud Grandpa Jonathan would've been to see me," he chuckled, lost in his own memories. "I asked if it was because of all that happened with Kars, and he gave me this look, like I was an idiot. He said Jonathan would've been proud to see me growing up and taking care of Holly, proud that I was starting a family of my own._

 _"We talked for a long time, I don't even remember half of it, and it got me thinking. I grew up without you or Dad around, Caesar thought his Dad had abandoned him for years, Granny Erina and you lost your husbands. I don't want that. For Holly or for Suzi. I'm just going to try and focus on being a father, on taking care of my family before anything else," he paused. "I'm not going to keep training in the Ripple. Does that make me selfish?"_

 _Lisa paused. Her first instinct was to admonish him, because yes, of course it was selfish. But she'd seen firsthand how her instincts could backfire on her, some very painfully. "No, JoJo, it's not. And even if it is, I think you, of all people, have earned a little selfishness."_

 _"Hm! Glad someone agrees with me, at least..." he trailed off, sunlight just starting to peek through the curtains. Eventually, Holly's eyes fluttered open, fixating on Lisa and prompting a gummy smile. "Hey, see that? You know, me and Suzi are the only ones she's always smiled at like that. Maybe you're better with kids than you thought."_

 _Lisa smiled back, sparkles of Ripple lighting up her finger and eliciting giggles from her granddaughter. "Maybe."_

 _"Suzi wants more kids," Joseph continued, the sudden change of subject drawing her attention. "If we have another daughter, who knows? Elizabeth's a good name. But you'll have to be there, obviously."_

 _"Hm! I think I can agree to that, Joseph."_

 _"You better... Mom."_

OoOoO

"Josuke, why is it every time you come to visit, either you, JoJo, or the _both_ of you end up in a hospital bed?" Suzi asked, Shizuka wheeling her into the medical ward of the Speedwagon Foundation base.

"Luck?" he shrugged sheepishly. "Honestly, though, we're fine, I healed Dad earlier, and the only thing wrong with _me_ is jet-lag."

"That and a terrorist attack," Shizuka frowned. "You got exposed to this Bronze Rain stuff, bro. I think getting checked out is a good idea."

"Shizuka's right, you know," Joseph croaked from his own bed across from his son's. "As usual. Hey, Suzi. Sorry to ruin your day like this."

"You're meant to be resting, JoJo, and besides, I was just starting to get bored," Suzi pushed herself to her feet, placing a soft kiss on his forehead. "Anyway, I've made a few calls. Jotaro's going to meet with Rollins in Florida, so he's taking care of _that_."

"Dad, I know you want us to stay safe, but this whole 'avoiding the topic' thing isn't helping," Shizuka frowned, perching on the end of his bed. "What did Jeeves need you and Jotaro for?"

"Um..." a raised hand drew their attention to the radiator, or more specifically, to the teenager handcuffed to it. "Should I really be here for this? It seems like a family thing. Also, can someone please open these cuffs? I kind of need the bathroom."

"You're only being held here until one of our specialists arrives, he'll be able to confirm you're not a threat," Josuke assured him. "He won't be long."

Joseph managed a weak smirk at Joel's expression. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you. Not much, anyway."

"Okay, forget kind of, I actually do need the bathroom." Joel gulped, flinching as the door opened inwards once again.

"I'm sure we can manage that, Mr... Williams?" the doctor smiled as he entered the room. Above him floated a large, cylindrical Stand, with red-tipped 'bandages' waving lazily around its form. Near the centre of its body, a sleeping face was visible, resembling a young man, marked with strange, angular designs on its cheeks. "My name is Dr Green, and my Stand, Broken Dreams, will be able to tell us what's best for you."

Joel looked around at the Joestar family, waiting for help. "No offence, man, but Broken Dreams? Not the most encouraging name."

Dr Green chuckled. "Don't worry. My Stand isn't a dangerous one. It got its name for its ability, to show bits and pieces of your innermost self, along with memories that represent those bits and pieces. You'll remember everything as it's shown to me, but not as clearly as I can see it. Like pieces of a dream, you see?"

"Just go with him, Joel," Shizuka rolled her eyes at the terror on the boy's face. "I've been to see Dr Green before, he's good at his job. It's not like you're secretly a murderer or something, are you?"

"Wha- No, of course not!"

"Then what's the problem?"

He stilled, looking around at them all. "Ugh, fine, let's get this over with. Don't leave me out of the loop, though. I want to know what the hell is going on."

OoOoO

Josuke frowned at Joseph's obvious discomfort. The old man was usually pretty upbeat, but whatever confession he had to make was clearly a rough one. After nearly fifteen years working with the Foundation, healing people and dealing with Stands, Josuke knew that Joseph's life had left him with a few scars too deep for Crazy Diamond. Obviously, this was one of them."

"Shizuka, I know I've told you about this in my stories, but... Josuke, what do you know about Pillar Men?" Joseph began. Seeing his son's blank look, he continued in a subdued tone. "Well, they are to vampires what vampires are to human beings. Almost unstoppable, able to manipulate their bodies in ways that should have killed them, able to consume living things just by touching them. There were four in total. The only weakness they had was sunlight, and by proxy..."

"Ripple energy," Josuke finished for him. "You said there were four?"

"Yes. Esidisi, Wamuu, Kars and Santana. I survived fighting them mostly because of my friend Caesar, my... my teacher, and a lot of luck. Esidisi I managed to kill when he tried to attack Suzi Q; Wamuu fought me in an honour duel, and Kars was blasted into space."

"Wait, but... you always said you beat Santana," Shizuka pointed out. "You and that German guy who kidnapped Uncle Speedwagon."

He sighed, balling up the blanket in his fists. "I know I tell a good story, but the truth is I nearly died there. A couple of times, even. My Ripple was barely strong enough to affect him, but I was able to lure him into the sunlight."

"The sunlight doesn't kill them?" his son questioned. Joseph shook his head, frowning.

"Not immediately. They can survive by petrifying themselves, creating a stone skin that protects them from almost everything. He was taken into the Foundation's custody, and we've kept him contained under UV light for the last seventy years. That is, until two days ago.

"Around ten o'clock, the night before last, a Foundation base in Texas had every single one of its security measures fail. Cameras, locks, communications, everything. Once they managed to fix the system, they ran a full check, and discovered that two of the storage units were missing. The first... was Santana's petrified body."

"Shit..." Shizuka breathed, eyes wide. "No wonder you seemed so out of it. That's, that's pretty heavy stuff."

"What was in the second one?" Josuke pressed. "I mean, if you led with the immortal vampire-killing-vampire, then..." Joseph grimaced, biting the bullet and pressing on with his explanation.

"The second one. It shouldn't have been in the same facility as Santana in the first place, but after Jotaro broke into it eighteen months ago, it had to be moved. Whoever our thieves are, they managed to get away with the Bow and Arrows."

OoOoO

"I don't know where you found this kid, Mr Joestar, but he's- hm?" Dr Green stopped short as he re-entered the room, seeing Joseph clutching Suzi's hand like a lifeline, his children muttering hurriedly to one another at the end of the bed. "Something wrong?"

"Just discussing the Texas break-in. If someone's trying to get to us, better that we all know about it beforehand," the oldest living Joestar shook his head. "Anyway, you had news on our 'prisoner'?"

"Ah, yes, horrible to think that someone could outmaneuver us so completely..." the doctor cleared his throat. "I have to say, you've brought a most fascinating case to me. It seems young Mr. Williams, which I'm sure is a pseudonym, has selective amnesia, but on a scale I've never seen before."

"What, like, missing a couple years of his life?" Shizuka chimed in, curiosity piqued. "I've seen that on TV before."

"Well, unfortunately, Ms Joestar, the entertainment industry has a habit of both under- and over-simplifying conditions like this one. Normally, selective amnesia causes a person to lose either specific events, such as the loss of a loved one, or they lose memories of certain skills or capabilities. It's usually in response to a severe physical or mental trauma, or in rare cases, the product of hypnosis.

"Mr Williams' case is odd, possibly unique. While his learned skills and information seem untouched, any memories with personal attachment are... fractured. He has no knowledge of his family, of his home, even his schooling. It's as though he was given his entire history, with every significant name and face blanked out," Dr Green shook his head, glancing down at his notes. "The closest I've seen was the effects of the Whitesnake Stand, though this seems to be a- a refinement of the technique, perhaps. One that doesn't leave the target as an empty shell."

"You think he might be connected with Pucci?" Josuke cut in, eyes hard. "An accomplice or something?"

"No, no, of course not. That threat's been dealt with, as you know. But if I had to guess, I'd say Joel was the victim of a similar Stand. He has several gaps in recent memories, but everything from the past week or so is fairly clear," he looked up from the clipboard. "He's no threat, he even tried to ensure Shizuka's safety when he thought he'd hurt her, but I do have to ask. What do you plan to do with him?"

Joseph glanced over at Shizuka, who pointed at herself in confusion. "Huh? Me?"

"Makes sense, I suppose," Josuke shrugged, patting her on the head. "You beat him, you probably know the most about him... yeah, it's up to you, sis."

She paused, looking a little like a deer caught in headlights, before swallowing and nodding. "Well, I guess..."

OoOoO

Joel flinched as one of Broken Dreams' tendrils brushed his cheek, its eyes opening wide and projecting an image from his youth, of himself and Piano Man in a forest with... someone.

He groaned, rubbing his forehead as the image abruptly cut off once again. It was maddening, to be missing so much of his life and yet not even knowing _what_ he was missing. He'd taken to reciting what he _did_ know to himself, to try and find some clues as to where he came from.

He was sixteen years old, his birthday sometime during the summer. He'd grown up with two parents and at least one sibling. Probably older, since in many of the relevant memories, it felt like he was looking upwards. He didn't speak anything but English, and enough French to muddle through a short conversation or two. He'd left or lost his family no more than... two, three years ago? His memories started to clear shortly after that, though he still couldn't remember anyone close to him, only that they _existed_ , somewhere.

The door opened, making him jump. Dr Green stood in the doorway, expression unreadable. "Mr Joestar wants to talk to you."

He nodded, silently sidestepping the Stand hovering next to him and following the middle-aged man back through the hallways of the Foundation building. Internally, he wondered what the family were planning to do with him. While the kid seemed too hyper for her own good and her brother was terrifying, in the way that only someone perfectly polite could be, he didn't know what to make of Joseph Joestar or his wife. The old man didn't look like anything special, until you saw his eyes. There was a spark of intelligence, of someone still full of life, along with a kind of calculation that made Joel feel like an open book.

He started as Dr Green waited at one side of the door, gesturing for him to enter. When he did so, Joseph was out of bed, leaning heavily on a cane in the middle of the room. He'd need to address this situation carefully. "Hey. What's up?" _'Damnit, brain, you've failed me once again.'_

"So you've got no memories of your past whatsoever?" Joseph began, frowning sternly. "That makes you a risk, in more ways than one. You could have altered your memories yourself, to get close to us and manipulate us. You could be a proxy, a construct created without memories... you could be from another timeline for all we know. So, what do _you_ think we should do with you?"

Joel flinched, looking downwards. "Yeah, in your shoes I guess it must look pretty bad. Look... I can't tell you you should trust me enough to let me go, 'cause I wouldn't. I promise, though, I've got no intention of trying to attack any of you, or of getting in the way when you look for these terrorists. If there's some way I can prove it..." he trailed off, glancing at Josuke, who was standing stoic behind his father. "Please don't turn me into a book."

Joseph's lips quirked upwards at that. "Good to know where you draw the line. Now, since we can't exactly let you run around knowing about this Foundation facility, and it kind of goes against my morals to let a thief and a pickpocket run free, so Shizuka came up with a way to deal with you and keep you out of trouble."

The man was grinning widely by now, his bared teeth reminding Joel of a predator, like a wolf or a lion, ready to clamp those jaws together in judgment. Joel nodded warily, eyes darting around in search of the girl - _why_ did she have to be invisible? - before settling back on Joseph, replying with a lot more confidence than he actually felt. "Oh, yeah? And what's that?"

Achtung Baby suddenly appeared in front of him, Shizuka beaming from beside her Stand. "Congratulations! I got you a job!"

He blinked dumbly. "Wait, _what?"_

OoOoO

 **I know not much happened here, this was mostly a character chapter. Joel missed out on explaining his tragic backstory during the fight, so it had to appear somewhere.**

 **Next chapter will start Act One, "New York's New Star", as I said, and we'll find out more about the Bronze Rain.**

 **Now, New Stand!**

 **Broken Dreams - Bill Green**

Power; D - Durability; A - Speed; C - Precision; B - Range; C - Potential; B

Broken Dreams can use the tendrils wrapped around its body as prehensile limbs, capable of restraining even multiple people. When the red-tipped ends of the tendrils make contact with someone, the Stand can view and project their thoughts and memories for Dr Green to examine. However, its actual power is weak, and its limbs are easily destroyed if the opponent can outspeed or out-muscle them.

 **Other Stuff;**

 **Chayera Hall;** Giorno should have at least been mentioned in Part 6, right? The whole thing with Dio's partner carrying out a plan, and his other three sons turning up for a handful of chapters each? Jotaro never even _thought_ of Giorno during all that?

 **G;** Purple Haze Feedback was great! I only wish the series had more side stories like it. Hamon will definitely come back into use, since that and the sun are the only confirmed ways to deal with Santana. Who knows if he'd just be able to out-brawl a Stand user before they could hit him? I do...

As for the driver, it's just a little too soon for him to reveal himself. A clue, though. The Bronze Rain... is not a Stand.

 **reddevil47;** Joseph's technique is so inspiring that it's spread even beyond the Joestar line!

 **ArthurLCK;** Well, they're not in Florida right now, but a theme park sounds like a fun idea.

 **Q;** Looks like you were right! (And is it JoBro or BroJo? 'Cause I've always used the former...) And sorry for not getting the reference, I've never been any good at fighting games, so I haven't played much Street Fighter.

 **Anyway, catch you next time!**


	5. Vs Good Vibrations (I)

**Look out, New York! It's only another freaking Meteo Rain chapter!**

 **I promise, there'll be some actual action this time, as we learn some of the results of the Bronze Rain.**

 **Oh, and the flashback at the start here is part one of a two-parter. See if you know where it's going.**

 **OoOoO**

 **1982, Los Angeles.**

 _Joseph wiped his eyes, clearing away the rain dripping down his face. The priest was reciting passages from the bible as the coffin slowly lowered into the ground. Suzi was openly weeping, clutching at his chest as she sobbed. He barely listened to the droning voice until the end of his speech, instead glancing on the older man stood the opposite side of the grave, his face wrinkled beneath his tall green cap. Messina offered a respectful nod, but his gaze kept coming back to the boy stood between Joseph and his wife._

 _"...and so, we commit to you, Lord, your daughter, Elizabeth Joestar-Ballard. May she be seated among your heavenly host, Amen," the priest finished, closing his book and looking out at the small crowd. "Now, some of Elizabeth's family and friends have prepared a few words, as I understand. Joseph?"_

 _Joseph stood up, unfolding the note he'd kept in his pocket. "Growing up, I never knew my parents. My father was killed by an army officer, I knew, but no-one would ever tell me what happened to my mother. I was eighteen years old when I met a woman called Lisa Lisa..." he spoke as if in a trance, giving a heavily edited version of how Lisa Lisa had taught him 'acupressure', to cure an illness he'd incurred after a fight._

 _"...the thing is, I couldn't blame her for not being there for me when I was a kid. After all, she tried her hardest to protect me, from everything. And that's exactly what a mother is meant to do. So... goodbye, Mom. I only hope I can live up to your legacy, of always doing what you thought was right."_

 _He excused himself, as Lisa Lisa's brother-in-law took over, explaining how his brother had met a beautiful woman when he was on holiday in New York, and how a relationship had blossomed between them. Joseph shook his head. Charles Ballard had been a decently successful screenwriter, and had given Lisa Lisa a new lease of life, until he'd been in a car crash in the early seventies, just after Jotaro was born._

 _His hand squeezed his grandson's shoulder momentarily. Jotaro hadn't said more than two words since they'd collected him from the airport... His jaw clenched, but he took care not to take out his anger on his own grandson. As they silently filled in the grave, he noticed Messina hovering nearby, waiting to speak with him._

 _"Hey, Jotaro, do me a favour and take care of your grandmother for a few minutes, okay?" he whispered to the preteen, who nodded solemnly. "Messina. It's been a long time. You mind if we walk and talk?"_

 _The Ripple Master shook his head, falling into step beside his old companion and heading towards the church nearby. "My condolences, Joseph. I can't imagine how difficult it's been these past couple of years..."_

 _"It didn't help that Ripple Healing does nothing for cancer," Joseph sighed. "And Mom was so used to relying on the Ripple... By the time they'd found it, it had spread too far. Still, I'd like to think she was... satisfied. I mean, ninety-four is a pretty good age to reach, right?"_

 _"Indeed. Joseph, I have to ask, have you given any thoughts to-"_

 _"Taking up my training again? Sorry, but I'm not interested," Joseph shook his head. "I'd have to leave Suzi and Holly behind, so... it's not really worth it."_

 _"Ah," Messina nodded. They continued moving, the only sound being the crunching of gravel underfoot for the next few minutes, before the monk began a new conversation. "The boy... he's Holly's son?"_

 _"Mm-hm. Jotaro Kujo. Holly's not feeling well, so the kid had to come to New York on his own. Good thing he knows English..." Joseph trailed off, his hands balled into fists._

 _"He came here alone? What about his father?" Messina almost bit his tongue as Joseph actually_ snarled _._

 _"Don't talk to me about him. He told me, and Holly, that he'd bring Jotaro over himself. He_ promised _, and then he went ahead and broke that promise the first chance he got. He was offered an extra date on his damned tour, and apparently, that was more important than taking care of his wife and son!" He took a deep breath, calming himself as best he could. "Jotaro's staying with us for another week, and then I'll bring him home. That should give me enough time to figure out what to do to Sadao."_

 _His former mentor frowned. "Joseph, getting angry isn't going to help anything. What are you even going to say to him?"_

 _Joseph_ _turned away, heading back along the path they'd taken. "You know me, Messina. I'll figure it out."_

 **OoOoO**

"Okay, walk me through this one more time," Joel frowned, looking over the sheets of paper in front of him. "You want to keep an eye on me, so you're offering me a job, that will force me to stay close."

"Mm-hm." Joseph nodded.

"The most consistent position you could find is being your personal assistant, handling all the paperwork that is being sent to you, despite the fact that I'm pretty sure you're retired from the incredibly ambiguous Speedwagon Foundation."

"Mm-hm."

"The job mostly consists of handling messages and information that represents a direct threat to you and your extended family, most of which is from Stand users, despite the fact I've only known about other people having Stands for about... five hours, now."

"That about sums it up."

"Okay, but _why_? I know nothing about this kind of thing!"

Joseph held up a hand. "How would you stop Eiffel from getting into a building and attacking you? What would you do to prepare a place against him?"

"Is this a trick question?"

"Humour me. What would you do?"

"Erm..." Joel's eyes faded out of focus for a second. "Well, he travels through electronics, but you said he only went for exposed screens or bulbs, so he can't penetrate barriers... Could you cover light fixtures with clear plastic? If he can't detonate it by overloading things, it should be pretty safe."

"What else?" Joseph pressed, Suzi leaning in curiously.

"Well, if you could cut off any power cables leading in or out, that'd at least slow him down. Maybe an enclosed place with a generator?"

"And if he got in anyway?" the question came from Suzi this time. "If you had someone with you who couldn't see Stands and was totally defenceless?"

The young man frowned. "Every time he moves, it's like he's..." he waved his hand thoughtfully. "It's like he's using the electricity to move his body faster than it should be able to. So, either a fire extinguisher like Shizuka used, or maybe..." he fumbled in his pocket, pulling out spools of metal wiring. "If you lure him into this, it could ground the charge and slow him down. That'd mean Piano Man could grab him and hold him down, at least."

"That's why," Joseph smirked. "You've never fought another Stand user before today, Shizuka's had Achtung Baby since before she could walk, and you still held your own. You've got good instincts, like me, like Shizuka. I want you to protect Shizuka and Suzi, to watch over them. Consider yourself a bodyguard."

"Then, why the whole 'personal assistant' shtick?" Joel asked, bewildered.

"That's for Shizuka's sake," Suzi answered. "She's heard so many stories about our family, she's so determined to live up to what she thinks we want, she'll jump in headfirst if a threat appears. Asking her to accept a bodyguard would make her feel like she's not good enough."

"Huh. That's... Huh."

Joseph smiled wryly. "It's not too bad if she's with Josuke or one of his friends, because they're all experienced when it comes to Stand battles, but he has to go home eventually."

"And if I've been working closely with you, it wouldn't be weird for me to spend some time with her after he does," Joel guessed, staring blankly at his new employer. "Damn. That- that's _Machiavellian_."

"Thank you."

"Mrs Joestar?"

Suzi giggled into her hand. "Well, you didn't think Jojo came up with that plan all by himself?"

Joel shook his head weakly, a bead of sweat running down his face. _'What the hell have I been dragged into?'_

OoOoO

"Come on, bro!" Shizuka cried, dragging him through the streets with practised ease. "We're nearly there!"

"'Zuka, couldn't we have, I don't know, gotten the cab the whole way instead of getting out two blocks over?" Josuke groaned, as he accidentally bumped into someone else and knocked them aside from sheer momentum.

"Blasphemy! You've never been to Central Park before, but there are some traditions you have to follow! Like walking in on your own two feet!" She grinned up at him, her movement ceasing completely when they came to a crosswalk.

Josuke, unfortunately, had a lot more mass, and thus a lot more momentum. He stumbled forwards, bumping into a nervous-looking student only a few years older than Shizuka, who stumbled forwards into the road. "Oh shi-"

There was a blur of movement, something smacking into the boy with a sound of breaking glass and pushing him back onto the pavement. Josuke caught his shirt, just as a taxi sped past.

"Sorry about that, man. Lucky I managed to catch you, huh?" Josuke tried, with an embarrassed smile. The boy nodded erratically, wrenching his sleeve free of Josuke's grip and muttering a quiet 'thanks' before vanishing into the crowd.

"Good catch with Achtung Baby. I hadn't realised you were that fast." Josuke murmured to Shizuka as they crossed the road. She looked back at him in confusion.

"That... wasn't me. I thought you'd used Crazy D to grab him before he fell." The two of them fell into silence, digesting that.

Josuke was the first to compose himself. "Look, we've got no reason to assume anything. It could've been someone else pulled him back, could have been... ghosts or- Don't give me that look, ghosts are real. Anyway, even if he has a Stand, no reason to assume he's an enemy, all he did was _not_ get hit by traffic."

Shizuka conceded the point, her enthusiasm returning. "We're supposed to head home before dinner, so we only have a few hours. I think the most important things are the zoo and Belvedere Castle... Ooh, Strawberry Fields, too! And the Rink!"

"Alright, alright... Where to first?"

"Hmm..." Shizuka unfolded a map from her pocket, and examining it. "Well, we're right by the Met- that big building over there, that's the Metropolitan Museum of Art... If we start there, then head straight across to the Castle..."

"You know, I'm staying for at least a week, we're not limited to today," Josuke grinned. "We'll be able to check everything out."

"I know, but... It's right _there_ , Josuke! We're here, and you're not getting called to deal with Stands in Morioh, or Texas, or Canada, or..." Shizuka shook her head to clear it. "Look, the point is we're gonna have a family bonding day, and nothing's going to ruin it!"

OoOoO

"What do you mean, closed for renovations?" Shizuka burst out. "That's not fair!"

"Hey, kid, what're ya yellin' for?" drawled the construction worker slumped against the wall. "Places like this gotta stay on top a' things, 'specially when someone's been breakin' in ta steal antiques."

"Stealing antiques?" Josuke quirked a brow. "What kinds of things were they after?"

The overweight man shrugged, lighting a cigarette and taking a long, slow drag. "Native American stuff, I heard. Couldn't tell ya what kind, though."

Josuke sighed deeply, hearing his sister muttering expletives under her breath. "Come on, Shizuka, we'll check it out another day. What about that Castle you were telling me about? Let's head over there, huh? The zoo sounds cool, too."

That seemed to perk her up, the pair of them bounding off along the pavement, leaving the museum behind. The worker exhaled a cloud of smoke, frowning as a woman in one of his company's uniforms walked out past him.

"Oi, oi, what the hell're ya doin'?" he called to her. "Everyone's s'posed ta be setting up the new security system. Who said ya could take a break?" he continued, grabbing her shoulder and flicking the butt of his cigarette onto the ground.

"Get your hand off me, pig." she snapped back, a ripple of... _something_ washing over his hand and numbing it for a moment. It took a second longer before he let out a roar of pain, every bone in his hand broken to pieces.

"It's really sick, you know?" she commented idly, picking up the still-smoking butt. "Everyone says how evolved humans are, but look at you. Killing yourself with toxic chemicals, and then polluting the world with your filth? The age of man has run its course, it's time for a new stage of evolution to take control."

"Wha- yer one a' those freaks that tried to rob the place! I'm gonna tell everyone- Urk!" he choked, indentations shaped like fingers wrapping their way around his throat and pushing him back behind the curtains set up around the doors of the building. Held aloft by some unseen force, he caught sight of the woman's face under the peaked cap.

Dirty blonde hair, dull, emotionless eyes, and a long scar running down from her left eye over the cheekbone to her jawline. "You've already blabbed too much. This was supposed to be easy, get some people in to fill the gaps in security, convince them all to keep it secret. Then you go and tell everyone about the robberies. You even got the Joestars involved," she shook her head, her mouth twisting into a horrific mockery of a smile while her eyes stayed static. "It would've been better if they didn't hear about this, but needs must. I'll have to deal with them next. But first..."

He couldn't tell at first when she stopped talking, an incessant ringing in his ears rising to a screech as his body shook uncontrollably. And then...

She dropped the corpse, her Stand shaking blood from its hands. "What a pain... I better cover that over at least. The boss' gonna be pissed about this. But maybe I can make up for it, get rid of Higashikata for him. I heard he's one of the 'Key Players' in this thing. Let's see how he measures up against my Good Vibrations."

OoOoO

Joel looked up at the sound of Joseph's phone ringing. The old man pressed a couple of keys with a shaky hand, placing it on the seat next to him. "Dr. Green? What's going on?"

 _"Mr Joestar, we've got the analysis back on that Bronze Rain. Most of it is simple acids, the cocktail they're using here would be absorbed directly through the skin into the bloodstream. But the interesting thing is what we found after boiling away the liquids. Metal compounds, using gold, copper and iron isotopes that aren't found in nature. We've only ever seen mixes like this with the meteorites from Greenland, and with-"_

"The Arrows," Joseph finished, looking shocked. "So, what, someone's found a way to... melt down the Arrows into a liquid form? To expose people to the effect without piercing them with the actual Arrow itself?"

 _"That's not all, Joseph. We've got reports of break-ins at the Met, thieves that only took replicas from the MesoAmerican exhibits. Replicas of the Stone Masks you destroyed."_

"Sounds like whoever broke Santana free is trying to get him to a 'perfect form'," the elderly Joestar muttered. "But none of those masks actually work. Plus, the Red Stone is long gone, so even with a Mask, there's no way to do it."

 _"I don't know. This whole thing seems too organised - Surely, if they went through all this trouble, they've got a plan worked out ahead of time? We're recalling anyone who's not already on this investigation, it's our new top priority. Joseph... These guys have to know who you are. Make sure you stay safe, all right? I've patched you back together enough times, I don't want that to go to waste."_

"Hm!" Joseph snorted. "I'll keep that in mind, Bill. Let me know if you find anything else, all right?"

Joel gulped nervously as the car pulled to a halt outside Pendleton Tower. "He's right. Two simultaneous thefts, both connected to your past? That sends its own message. You should, you know, consider hiring some security for this place? I know you and Shizuka are Stand users, but..."

"JoJo's put a lot of work into our house," Suzi smiled softly, clinging to her husband's arm. "It's probably the safest place in New York. Our security live on the floor below us, they keep watch over the entire building." Joseph preened, enjoying the quiet respect from his newest employee.

"That's where you'll be staying as well. I'll give you the tour later on, once I-" Joseph paused, as an alert tone chimed out from his phone. He paled rapidly as his eyes flicked across the screen. "Oh My God... Suzi, call Shizuka! I'll try Josuke!"

Joel swiped his own device, bringing up the news- "'Worker found dead outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art'? Shit, they're already moving!" he reached into his pocket, feeling the cool handle of a switchblade passed over by Piano Man. _'If these psychos come looking for us... I'll have to put them down.'_

OoOoO

"Belvedere Castle!" Shizuka announced, arms spread wide to frame the stone fortress. "Built more than a hundred years ago, it's been used as a weather station, an observatory and to show off exhibits. A wonderful mix of Gothic and Romanesque architecture, it's one of the most beautiful sights in the entire city. Even its name, 'Belvedere', means 'a beautiful view'."

"..." Josuke shook his head wryly. "Are you looking for a job with that spiel?"

"Nah, they've got pamphlets, I got all that from there..." she admitted, holding up the colourful guide to the landmark's features. "The castle looks out over Turtle Pond, over there." Achtung snapped the paper from her hand, balling it up and tossing it like a basketball at a trash can nearby. It bounced off the rim and rolled over to rest next to a bystander's foot.

"..." The woman frowned, slowly picking up the paper and staring blankly at it.

"Hey, sorry about that, I was aiming for the trash can," Shizuka apologised, stepping forward to take it back. "I'll just..."

Josuke's eyes widened when he saw the woman's hand curl into a fist, veins bulging on her forehead. "Shizuka, get back!" he bellowed, Crazy Diamond bursting out of him and pulling his sister away as a new Stand appeared.

Something rang in his ears for a second, but Shizuka was even worse off, yelping in pain and clamping her hands over her ears. He tapped her with his Stand's healing ability as he looked over their opponent.

Dirty blonde hair, wearing a tight, tie-dyed shirt and ripped trousers, the user's face was twisted into a sneer. Her Stand was tall and thin, with speaker-like discs on its arms, palms and chest. Its eyes were thin, diagonal slits on a rounded head made of black metal. Leaf-shaped spines rose up from its head and shoulders, making it seem like its head was a metallic flower of some kind.

"Josuke Higashikata and Shizuka Joestar. You're as bad as the rest of these worthless humans, poisoning our world. I, B.G., will destroy you for the sake of our future, you and that stupid delinquent look you have! Good Vibrations!"

Her Stand clapped its hands together, the sound echoing faintly as a pulsing disc of blue appeared between its palms. It flicked its wrists, the shock-wave expanding outwards until it seemed like a solid wall of sound was approaching.

"DORARARAA!" Crazy Diamond cried, its fists flying out to meet the attack. The blast slowed at the first blow, buckled at the second, and broke at the third, wind whipping around the Joestar siblings without damaging them.

"You know, I try to be pretty chill most of the time," Josuke drawled, some of B.G.'s confidence faltering at how easily he'd thwarted her initial strike. "I had a real bad temper when I was younger, lashing out whenever someone insulted me. Not really the kind of example you want to set for kids, you know?"

He calmly reached up, combing a few loose strands of hair back into place. "But you can't just _not_ get mad, you know? So nowadays, I tend to save it for someone who really, _really_ deserves it," he tossed the comb onto the ground, smirking at the new vein that bulged out from her forehead. "And lucky for me, you just volunteered to help me work out some stress. Take a minute, get good and ready, _cause I'm about to kick your ass_!"

OoOoO

 **This turned out more filler-y than I'd intended, but I like it, so...**

 **Good Vibrations will be explained next time, once we see its full power.**

 **Other Stuff;**

 **ArthurLCK;** (Blinks) Thank you?

 **Q;** Shizuka's past will be explored, probably not as a full arc in itself, but damnit, everyone deserves to know where they come from.

 **G;** I've read a couple chapters of Rohan's stories, yeah. I hadn't planned for the Mexican kid to be this story's bad guy, but I can see there being a connection... just probably not as you'd imagine there to be. The Lisa Lisa flashback there has been my personal headcanon since I first read Parts 2 and 3, 'cause why would Joseph not practice his really useful superpowers unless there was a valid reason? He'd already had the value of hard work beaten into him, after all.

 **The Late Artisan;** Of course everyone's nice and safe, they've already beaten Pucci and (as far as they know) ended all the threats left after Dio (Sorry, DIO). Josuke's been trying to emulate Jotaro in being cool and collected, but the facade has its limits, as we can see... I totally agree with what you're saying about it being hard to show FaBuLoUsNeSs in a text format. My advice is to try it. The worst that can happen is you improve in the process of writing it, right?

 **DAIrinchan;** I think the Pillar Men get ignored because their powers are a lot more straightforward than Stands, and with the vampires being phased out after DIO's defeat... yeah. And I love my Shizuka! She's basically an in-universe JoJo's fangirl, in the best way. Thank you for your kind words! Oh, and Eiffel had a big role in the breakout, but he's not the one who took Santana...

 **See you soon, guys!**


	6. Vs Good Vibrations (II)

**On to Josuke's first fight of this story, against the overzealous B.G.!**

 **Also, part two of last chapter's flashback. This one is still pretty emotional, I think.**

 **OoOoO**

 _ **1982, Kujo household (Outside Tokyo)**_

 _"Hey, Holly, how're you feeling?" Joseph greeted his daughter, who was blowing into a tissue as she answered the door. She gave a weak smile, accepting the hug he offered as Jotaro pushed past them both. "Oi! Jotaro! Aren't you even going to greet your mother?"_

 _"Dad, it's fine," she whispered. "I know Jotaro thought Grandma Lisa was someone really impressive, it's okay for him to be quiet at a time like this."_

 _He sighed, fiddling with the brim of his hat. "I suppose... I still think you're too soft with him, but... I'll let it slide, this one time," he frowned, placing the back of his normal hand to her forehead. "You're still a little feverish... come on, let's get back inside, I'll make you some soup, alright?"_

 _"You don't need to worry about me, Dad, it's just a little cold. I'll be fine in the morning."_

 _"Nope! As your father, I'm the one who's going to decide if you're well or not!" Joseph smiled widely, though his eyes didn't seem to match the expression as they took in the interior of the house. "Now, you just sit down, okay? It won't take me more than five minutes to get it ready for you."_

 _In the kitchen, he swept together whatever he could find, bringing out a tray of sandwiches along with a bowl, steaming fresh from the microwave. He slid it onto the table, bowing low with a flourish. "Your meal, madame."_

 _She chuckled softly, slowly eating as he sat across from her. "How's Mom doing?" she asked after a few minutes, blowing her nose again._

 _"She's... coping. Lisa Lisa was like a mother to her, you know? It's rough," Joseph looked to one side, wrestling with his conscience for a few minutes. "Where's Sadao, anyway?"_

 _"I-" Holly broke off, coughing into her hand. Joseph leapt to his feet, hovering protectively over her. "Dad, it's okay, sit down. Sadao got a call, his agent managed to arrange a new show for him in Seoul. This could really help him become an international artist, you know."_

 _"So he left. Again," the older Joestar's glare intensified. "He left you here when you were sick."_

 _"Dad-"_

 _"He couldn't be bothered to bring Jotaro to a family funeral, did he even call to see if you were okay? I know he didn't make any,_ any, _calls to Jotaro this whole week. What kind of bastard-"_

 _"Dad!" Holly yelled, pushing herself to her feet. "Don't talk about Sadao like that!"_

 _"He's never around when you need him, Holly! He wasn't even there when Jotaro was born! He's not good enough for you!"_

 _"Dad, you'll never think anyone's good enough for me!"_

 _Joseph clenched his fist. "He's taking advantage of you. You_ and _Jotaro. Please, just listen to me!"_

 _"Dad, Sadao and I love each other! Why can't you understand that?"_

 _"No,_ you _love_ him! _I've never seen anything to indicate that he's anything close to a decent husband, he's letting his son grow up without a father, he's a_ parasite- _"_

Slap!

 _Joseph's artificial hand went to his cheek, stinging and reddening. Holly pointed at the door, tears running down her face. "Get out."_

 _"Holly-"_

 _"GET OUT! I can't deal with this right now, Dad. Just go."_

 _Joseph opened his mouth to protest, until he caught sight of Jotaro approaching. The boy's usual unreadable expression was twisted into an angry scowl, looking from Joseph's closed fists to Holly's teary-eyed glare. "...You're right. I'll go. Jotaro, take care of your Mom, all right?"_

 _The preteen's anger didn't lessen as Joseph brushed past, but the way Jotaro instantly moved to stand by his mother was enough to fill in some of the pit that had opened in Joseph's stomach. He exhaled, looking up at the night sky as he left. "Looks like I have the same problem handling kids as you did, huh?" he muttered, pulling down the brim of his hat. "I need a damn drink..."_

 _OoOoO_

 _"Keep- Keep 'em coming!" Joseph crowed, his eyes more than slightly glazed as he downed another glass of whatever he could reach. The mostly-young crowd around him echoed the sentiment with loud cheers._

 _"Hey, check this out," he continued with a grin, charging a finger with the Ripple and jamming it into the table. The charge shot across the polished metal and pooled underneath the bottle of_ _champagne someone had left unopened. "Sparkling Overdrive!" he announced, the bottle rattling in place until the cork exploded out of it. He flicked his prosthetic hand around, catching the glasses and sliding them around to catch most of the drink as he sprayed into the air. The last, he handed over to the girl next to him with a flourish. "Voila."_

 _"Very nice," she grinned back. "You know, me and my friends were planning on continuing this little party back at our dorm. Would a fine, strong gentleman like yourself be open to joining us?"_

 _He laughed boisterously, accepting a round of high fives before he turned back to her. "Of course! Can-Can't let young ladies like yourself go unescorted, can I?" he asked rhetorically, pulling her into a spin and catching her drink before it could fall. "Oh, my apologies, Miss...?"_

 _She flicked her hair back behind her ears, blushing from more than liquor. "Higashikata. Higashikata Tomoko. Pleased to meet you."_

 _"Joseph Joestar. And believe me, Tomoko, our meeting is most definitely_ my _pleasure."_

OoOoO

Josuke pointed downwards, both of Crazy Diamond's fists slamming into the ground as BG readied another attack. Breaking through the path to the stone underneath, he pulled up a massive chunk of the earth to use as a crude shield. "Shizuka, get back and call Dad. If we're being targeted..." he trailed off, his Stand plucking pieces of stone from the ground and flicking them like high-speed marbles at the enemy.

"R-Right!" she yelped, ducking back and away from them, dashing into the distance and fumbling in her pocket.

"That won't do you any good, Higashikata," BG spat, her Stand darting in front of her to deflect the projectiles. "Even if Joseph Joestar were to call in backup for you, you'll be dead in five minutes."

"Nah, I wasn't sending her off to get help. Dad's good, but he's also, you know, ninety-two," Josuke drawled, removing his jacket carefully and folding it, fiddling with the sleeves for a moment. "And I don't even know where Jotaro is right now. Nah, I just didn't want my baby sister to see me tear you apart."

"DORARARAA!" Crazy Diamond bellowed, slamming a fist into its shield and launching it like a cannonball directly at BG. She bent over almost horizontally to avoid it, only to be caught off-guard by Josuke dashing ahead and punching her with his own hand, knocking her backwards.

"See, people like you get too dependent on your Stands," he smirked, blowing his knuckles in a taunting gesture. "I learned the hard way not to get complacent, though. There's always that one guy who takes it too far and threatens civilians. Better if I can beat the crap out of you quickly."

"Good Vibrations!" she screamed desperately, her Stand letting out an electronic humming noise, throwing out a blast of energy at Crazy Diamond, who deflected it with a grunt of exertion.

Josuke shook out his stinging hand. "That ringing... your Stand fires 'sound waves', doesn't it?" he mused aloud, several blasts managing to clip him as he dodged side to side. While none of them managed to break any bones, his arms and shoulders ached from the edges of the impacts.

"Good Vibrations has control over sonic waves, yeah. But I doubt you'll be able to face its full power! Now!" The mechanical, flower-like projection slapped a palm on the ground with a metallic buzzing noise. The noise intensified, the vibrations easily felt underfoot- Josuke protected his face with his arms as the ground next to him exploded, a harsh, grating screech assaulting him at the same time.

"Sound travels more easily through liquids and solids," BG sneered, holding her stomach where he'd struck her earlier. "Good Vibrations can stop them from dissipating as they travel and release them at the best possible time. Granted, it doesn't work for any of my bigger blasts, but..."

"DORAA!" Crazy Diamond slammed a fist into the ground, seemingly as a display of anger.

Josuke flicked some dirt off his face, where it had broken through his guard. "Alright, you're not just an amateur. Should've known, with how cocky you were acting. But you made a couple mistakes. First, don't go around explaining how your power works to the guys you're trying to kill, it's just stupid. Second, don't turn your back on an enemy's 'attack'."

BG whirled around, seeing a glowing aura surrounding the boulder barrelling towards her. "Maximum power, quick!"

"VVVvvvvVVVVvVVVVV!" her Stand buzzed, holding both hands out in front of it, pulsing with sonic energy. It clapped its hands together, releasing a crescent-shaped wave that sliced through the ball of mud and rock, the two halves being forced to either side of BG and just barely missing her.

"What did I just say about turning your back on the enemy?" Josuke hissed, suddenly right behind her. She didn't have any time to move as Crazy Diamond's fist slammed into her back like a freight train. "Now, you're going to give me some answers, or I'll-"

"Y-YOU!" Josuke whipped his head around to see the student he'd nearly knocked into the road, pointing accusingly at him. "You've got an evil spirit following you around- Both of you! You're like- Like me! You're cursed, too!"

"What the hell-?" the Japanese man muttered to himself, before his instincts kicked in and he threw himself to the side. BG had somehow managed to stand back up after his initial strike, though the way one shoulder seemed lower than the other showed she hadn't gotten away unscathed.

"What was it you were babbling on about? Threatening civilians?" she snarled, one hand stretching towards the petrified student beyond him. It thrummed with the sound of a charging blast, Josuke darting to stand between her and her target. "You really are a sentimental idiot."

Her other hand twisted behind her, pointed at the Castle some distance away. With a whirring click, the pulsing energy shot along Good Vibrations' own arm, conducting through to the other palm and firing backwards into the castle wall, blowing away a big chunk of it. Josuke's eyes narrowed, and he glanced over his shoulder. "Kid, I'll explain what's going on in a minute, alright? But first..."

BG, for a moment, could swear that she was under scrutiny by the seemingly easygoing and unflappable Josuke. And like a mouse observed by a hawk, she felt _hunted_ above all else. "Stay back! Even from this far away, my soundwaves can kill somebody!"

"You mean you didn't notice?" Josuke snapped, taking a few slow steps forward. "You didn't hit anybody that time, and now they're all scattering. With the way your Stand builds up to its attacks, I don't doubt you could kill or seriously hurt somebody. But how good are you at hitting a moving target, especially at this distance? Can you afford the time it takes to get a perfect shot?"

She paused, momentarily paralysed by indecision, until Crazy Diamond flicked something into the ground at her feet. "I SAID STAY BACK!" she screamed at him, clapping both hands together to release a shock-wave that slammed into his chest and halted his advance.

"Man, you really don't have any composure, do you?" he coughed, pulling out the collar of his shirt to examine the bruises that were forming. "It's all good until you're the one being threatened. That's a reeaally shitty attitude, you know?" He clutched something between his fingers, Crazy Diamond tapping it idly. "How about this? I won't move from this spot. I've already beaten you, anyway?"

"What the hell is that? What are you planning?" she hissed, eyes flicking from him to whatever he'd tossed in front of her. His flippant attitude and continued soiling of the earth was stretching her anger to the point of snapping.

"Oh, yeah, you're a hippy, I guess you might not recognise one of these," he smirked, holding up the small metal disc in his hand, glowing with the restorative effect of Crazy Diamond's touch. "It's called a button. They're mostly for decoration on the jacket, but they come in handy sometimes. When Crazy Diamond restores something, the 'lesser' part is usually what move to the 'greater'. Unless, of course, the 'lesser' part is caught on something sturdy, or _by_ someone."

"What-?" BG barely heard the billowing of cloth before something whipped around her leg and _pulled_ , knocking her off her feet and smacking her head against the ground. Josuke's jacket rippled as it dragged her along the ground, Good Vibrations being pulled alongside until they reached Josuke's position. "No-!"

"G'night!" he chirped, Crazy Diamond slamming both fists down and cracking both of her palm speakers. The barrage of punches that followed was really just icing on the cake. He wiped a spot of blood from his lip with a grin. "Guess you were an amateur after all."

"Oh my God! He just attacked that poor woman!"

Josuke paled as people around began converging on him, some of them looking ready for a fight. "Look, there's a perfectly good explanation for all this-"

"He must be the one who planted the bomb in the castle!" one particularly burly man declared, his moustache bristling. "I'll hold him down, someone call the police!" Josuke's mouth opened to defend himself, only for three men to throw themselves at him before he could say anything. Pinned to the ground, he threw one of them to the side, groaning.

"Ah, shit..."

OoOoO

Shizuka took a few deep breaths, getting herself back under control. Her Dad had promised to send Alex and Joel to support Josuke... something she should have done herself.

Her hands balled into fists, shaking with frustration. It was so stupid. She knew how to manipulate things, how to fight, Achtung Baby was a powerful Stand, if not quite as powerful as Crazy Diamond. She had all the tools, she should have been able to back Josuke up. But instead, she froze up in panic.

For all her advantages, she knew, she was severely lacking in 'experience'. Outside of some basic training with Josuke and his friends, or her fights with Piano Man and Eiffel, she'd never faced any real enemies. With Piano Man, Joel had been trying to escape for more than half the battle, and with Eiffel, her anger over Joseph's condition had overridden everything else.

But those eyes... BG's eyes, though they seemed blank at first, had been filled with sheer hatred when Shizuka had looked. She'd never met someone who was so utterly determined to kill her. It hadn't helped that for a few short moments before Josuke had healed her, the sounds of the city, the sounds she'd known all her life, had cut off completely, along with her sense of balance. For those seconds before her brother had caught her, she'd been completely alone.

She'd been terrified, and it had nearly gotten her killed. Her hand drifted to her neck, still remembering how painful it had been, using Achtung to try and tattoo the Joestar birthmark onto herself. In the end, it had come out crooked, with odd lines and splotches where she'd flinched or jumped.

But... she'd done it, hadn't she? Taken the symbol of her family onto her back, in a very literal sense. From her father Joseph, from his father George and grandfather Jonathan, to Josuke and Holly, to Jotaro and all the way down to Jolyne, that star was something that bound them together.

"I'm not alone..." she hissed to herself. "You hear me, New York? This star is a symbol of hope! Of new chances, of inspiration! I _am_ a Joestar, and I'm going to-Oof!" she cut off in the middle of her speech as someone ran into her. "Oi! Watch where you're going, you- Hey, you're that guy who Josuke bumped into!" she realised, pointing accusingly at the student, whose face and hands seemed to be covered in cracks. "Hey, are... Are you... feeling alright?"

"You... you were in the airport, and y- You're one of _them_! You're cursed, you've got an evil spirit over you. Nonononono- Get AWAY!" he babbled, throwing a sloppy punch at her head. Instinctively, she called out Achtung, meeting his strike with one from her Stand.

He fell backwards, leaving behind a flickering outline that held all the crack that had peppered his skin. There was a sound, like a thousand windows breaking, and the outline solidified, a translucent humanoid shape with jagged, uneven spines along its arms, back and head. There was no face to speak of, only two shallow pits where the eyes should have been, with the twinkling of dozens of spikes visible inside.

"You... you got a Stand," she breathed. "Wait, the airport? Then, this must be from the Bronze Rain."

"Nonononono, I can't, it can't," he degenerated into muttering under his breath. His Stand turned to face him, and he scrambled backwards, unable to find his footing. "Nonono don't touch me don't TOUCH ME!"

And his Stand exploded, pieces of it breaking off and hovering around him in a ring. Shizuka reached out, only for something to fly past, slicing open her finger like a knife. "Ow, what the hell?"

She stepped back, watching as razor-sharp pieces of the Stand sliced grooves into the ground, drawing dozens of circles around the boy crumpled on the ground. Barely audible, she could hear him still mumbling to himself. "...I can't handle... no more... just want... alone..."

A bird slammed into the ground next to her, wings and torso torn to shreds by the crystalline shards. "Hey! Hey, listen to me! There's nothing evil about Stands! I've had mine since I was a baby. It's a 'power' that comes from you! If you calm down, you can take control over it, alright? Just take a breath, and I'll explain everything."

"Power?" he croaked, looking up with tears in his eyes. "That's not... someone like me never has power."

"Well, you do!" she yelped, leaping back as his Stand swept around in a whirl of destruction. "But you need to keep it contained, before you hurt someone."

"Hurt someone?" his voice shifted, deepening as his hair flopped over his eyes. "You mean like the bastards who beat the shit out of me every day? The adults who ignore it because it's easier for them? You said this is mine, right?" He let out a quiet laugh, dark and sardonic. "Then that means it's my turn now! 'Cause that's how the world works! If you're strong, you use your strength to stay on top! If you're weak, you're just a stepping stone!"

Shizuka clenched her fist at the insane babbling coming from him. "That's not it. If you've got some kind of power, you have to take responsibility for it- Haven't you ever read a comic book before?"

"You're right. I am taking responsibility. I'm taking _control_ ," he cackled madly, tears still trailing down his cheeks. "I've _never_ had control of my life, but now I can _change things_. I can get revenge, I can get _justice_!"

"They're not even synonyms!"

He held out a hand, several of the shards clumping together to form a glass hand hovering next to his. He touched the jagged edge where the wrist should be, blood welling up from his fingertip. "I've been on the losing side of everything else... Maybe this is my chance to 'break even'? Then... then that's what w-I'll call you. And... Joestar, right? You disagree with me about what I need to do? Then... we'll have to remove you."

 _'This guy's freaking insane! Going from broken to homicidal so quickly? That doesn't happen unless you're already seriously messed up.'_ "I'm sorry your life's been so rough, but killing people isn't going to solve anything!"

"Agree to disagree. Breakeven, get her out of our way!"

An avalanche of shattered crystal descended on her, Achtung roaring a battle-cry as she tried desperately to fend off the attack. By the time it ended, her arms were liberally covered with shallow cuts, oozing blood down to her elbows. "I'm not going to let you cut loose and kill people. I'm Shizuka Joestar, you psycho! Brace yourself, or I might just break _you_ to pieces!"

OoOoO

 **So, originally, Josuke's fight was a lot longer, but it just got way too repetitive for my liking. Hopefully what's there is still pretty good.**

 **Stands;**

 **Good Vibrations - BG**

Power; B - Durability; C - Speed; B- Precision; C - Range; D - Potential; B

Good Vibrations can generate sound-waves from its palms or chest. The blasts can be directed through the air like projectiles or conducted directly into a person or object. By holding one of its 'speakers' against the ground, it can control where the blast is released from, though only in the same 'plane' as the initial surface.

 **Breakeven - Donoghue**

Power; C - Durability; C - Speed; B - Precision; A - Range; C - Potential; C

The Stand can disassemble itself into hundreds of jagged, sharp pieces, each of which is individually controlled by the user. It can minimise the damage it takes from physical impacts by breaking apart to dissipate the force.

 **Other Stuff;**

 **G;** I always assumed Lisa Lisa passed away either before Part 3 or Part 4, given that she was only referenced once in the former, and not at all in the latter. Maybe it's 'Araki forgot', or maybe it's deliberately vague to give us fuel for fanfics. And for the idea about tumours, it might work? I guess I was just thinking that it had spread too far before it was caught. And Annasui will be referenced, once we get to learning what the frack happened in Florida.

 **reddevil47;** (Says nothing while caught in The World's time stop, feels grateful for your review.)

 **Q;** Not much on Shizuka's past, no... she was at most a year old during Part 4. And the Bronze Rain will be explained more as the main plot unfolds.

 **Catch you next time!**


	7. Vs Breakeven!

**So, Josuke's in trouble, huh? Anyway, let's check in with Shizuka.**

 **OoOoO**

 _ **New York, 2002**_

 _"Mommy?" a child's voice called out hesitantly, rousing Suzi from her sleep. Without his hearing aids in, Joseph could sleep through anything. "Mommy, I-I had a bad dream. Can... Can I sleep with you and Daddy tonight?"_

 _"Oh, bambina, of course," the old woman smiled softly, the seemingly empty pyjamas climbing into the bed beside her. Suzi blinked, though, when Shizuka's arms wrapped around her. The little girl they'd adopted wasn't usually clingy but. "Shizuka? Do you want to talk about your dream?"_

 _"No..." came the muffled whisper. Suzi reached down to hold the girls face, panting a kiss on top of the invisible head._

 _"It's okay, sweetheart. Everyone has bad dreams sometimes. Even me and JoJo, sometimes. If you can, it really does help to talk about them." The silence stretched on for so long, Suzi began to wonder if she'd pushed too much. Shizuka was only three, but she had somehow inherited JoJo's stubborn streak already. Once she decided something, she couldn't be swayed._

 _"...I dreamed that you and Daddy couldn't find me anymore. That when I talked to you, you couldn't even hear me. And it was like I was all alone, but you were right there, and..." Shizuka's voice cracked as damp spots appeared on the blankets out of nowhere.. "I hate my stupid Stand."_

 _Suzi hugged her tighter, trying to think of what to say. "Shizuka... You know, I'm kind of glad you have Achtung Baby. After all, if you didn't, who knows if JoJo would have found you? I can't imagine not having you around, bambina. And I promise, even if you stay invisible all your life, your family will never forget about you."_

 _"...Promise?"_

 _"Of course. You're Shizuka Joestar. Just remember that, and you'll be fine."_

 _OoOoO_

 _Suzi blinked awake, as Joseph's elbow dug into her back. It took her a moment to remember why she'd moved to the centre of the bed, and she smiled sadly as she squinted down at the sleeping girl curled up next to her. She absently ran her fingers through the fan of black hair on the pillow, before it occurred to her that something was amiss._

 _Joseph snorted as Suzi swatted at him awkwardly. With her back turned to him, it was more flailing than anything. He shuffled closer to the edge of the bed, giving her enough room to roll onto her back and face him. "Wha's going on?" he croaked, only for her to shush him and point at something on her other side. He scrabbled for his glasses and looked over, his jaw falling open slightly._

 _The movements on the bed stirred the third of them, bright brown eyes flickering open and slowly focusing on the elderly couple. "M-Mommy? Daddy? What's..." Shizuka paused in wonder as she looked down at her hands. Rather than the hazy outline she was used to, she caught sight of pale skin and roughly-cut nails. She jumped to her feet and stared awestruck at the mirror in the corner of the room._

 _After a few stunned moments of poking at her face, she turned back to her parents with tears brimming. "You... you can see me?"_

 _Suzi barely had time to nod before Shizuka had leapt back up to them, tears streaming down her face despite the blinding smile on her face. That set Suzi off, too, and Joseph found himself more than a little choked up, too. He pulled both of them over to him in a hug, looking past Shizuka at the translucent, child-sized figure hovering in mid-air. It seemed hesitant, glancing from Shizuka to Joseph and shrinking under his gaze._

 _He took a deep breath, sending out a strand of Hermit Purple. It coiled around the ghostly figure's wrist and pulled it in, just as Shizuka was wiping her eyes. "Shizuka."_

 _Suzi looked confused as the other two stared at empty air, only for Joseph to whisper "Stand" in her ear, enough of an explanation for her to begin with. Shizuka reached out to the figure, becoming clearer and more detailed the longer she looked at it. Their hands met for a second, before Shizuka pulled the figure into another hug, with Suzi seeing the tiny imprints of its arms close around Shizuka's._

 _"Achtung Baby..." the girl whispered. "Thanks."_

 **OoOoO**

"Achtung Baby!" Shizuka cried, her Stand hovering around her like a second skin. Breakeven's shards were periodically reforming into large spikes that he directed at her with a wave of his hand, each one being met with a quick block from Achtung's fists. But the enemy was clearly coming off better in the brawl, forcing her back and further away from the path with each assault.

"You don't get it, do you?" he sneered. "You're just a kid, you don't know how things work. Everyone exists to hold you back in life, right? So the only way to win is to climb on top of everyone else. No more 'weak, worthless Donoghue', now I have _real_ power. I'll climb to the top by tearing apart whoever's above me!"

"Oh My God! Do you ever stop ranting?" she groaned, stumbling backwards when her foot caught a tree root. "Seriously, are you just trying to justify killing people? 'Cause I'm not going to agree with you!"

"You don't need to. I don't need some random brat's approval. I-" He paused, as Shizuka abruptly vanished, Achtung following suit a second later. "What... Where did you go?"

Something broke through his weakened barrier of glass shards, slamming into his jaw and knocking him back. "In case you didn't notice, I've got a Stand too. Maybe not as... direct, as yours, but Achtung's still pretty good," Shizuka taunted, punctuating her sentence with a barrage of kicks and punches. "Even if she can't affect herself."

"You... you bitch..." Donoghue hissed, wiping his split lip and shaking at the sight of the blood. "You... you're just like everybody else... you think you're better than me. I'm not some whipping boy for you to abuse as you see fit! BREAKEVEN, KILL HER NOW!" he screamed, clenching his fists and pulling them inwards, the glass shards all pausing momentarily before they rushed towards him.

"Ah, shit..." Shizuka whimpered, Achtung reappearing to try and protect her as she ducked and weaved through the hail of deadly projectiles. One of them broke through Achtung's guard, lodging in the Stand's leg and prompting a spurt of blood from Shizuka's. Suitably distracted, her concentration faltered to show her crouched at the edge of the wooded area.

"You see? I can do whatever I want now. No more whipping boy, no more scapegoat... Now, I can finally make things _fair_ , that the people who deserve it suffer as much as the ones they trample all over-"

"Oh, just _shut up_..." she groaned, ducking into the trees as a hail of spikes peppered her position. "I get it, your life sucks and you want revenge, don't try and put some sociopolitical bullshit on top of that. This isn't about making things fair, it's about you getting a chance to vent. And be a total psycho, from the sounds of it."

"Hang on... I remember, at the airport... You-You're Joseph Joestar's daughter! One of the richest men in the world!" Donoghue laughed, a hand clapping against his forehead. "Ha! No wonder you're so naive! A brat like you wouldn't know anything about pain! Or the old man! Just because he got lucky and turned his inheritance into even more money, everyone worships the ground he walks on! Once I'm done with you, maybe he'll know what it feels like to be on the losing side for once!"

He trailed off into mad giggles, his glass spikes tearing apart the trees. It took a few moments of him stalking through the trees to realise Shizuka wasn't responding. "What's the matter? Did I scare you off?"

"Nah," she called back with a falsely cheery voice. "I just realised you're an idiot. You think you can just do whatever you want, that having power means you're totally free of responsibilities."

"YUTUU!" Achtung Baby snapped, tossing something forwards with her full power. A dozen spikes shattered into dust as something heavy slammed into Donoghue's shoulder like a bullet.

"What the HEEELLLL?" he screamed, blood pumping from his injured joint. "How did you do that?"

"Anything that Achtung Baby touches, I can turn invisible," Shizuka drawled, lounging behind a wide crater in the middle of a clearing. Her jacket was left in shreds, barely more than ripped sleeves and a collar. "It's not limited to me. And your Stand might be sharp, but each individual shard is just a piece of glass. Anything sturdy enough to survive the first hit can get through your defence to hit you directly. I've found your weakness, Donoghue!"

Her opponent raised his good arm over his head, his Stand forming into five huge spikes above him. "Then I'll just have to put everything I have into offense! I'll tear you to pieces!"

"Man, you really have a one-track mind..." she sighed, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Next you'll say; Why didn't it hit you?" Her eyes flicked open to grin at the points of his spears, suspended in mid-air about a foot away from her.

"What? Why didn't it hit y- What?" he cut himself off mid-question, fear blossoming in his eyes as Achtung appeared next to her.

"Nice, I got it! Ahem... I told you, Achtung makes things invisible by touching them. She tore off a tree branch to make that spear in your arm. The rest of it, though?" Shizuka's smile was predatory, the look of a hunter springing an unavoidable trap. "Let him have it, Achtung."

"YUYUYUYUYUTUUU!" her Stand bellowed, unleashing a barrage of strikes at empty air, which creaked and groaned, his spikes shattering.

"Your Breakeven can't cut through a tree, but it can weaken one enough for this!" Shizuka snapped, a tree becoming visible as it slowly fell towards him. He turned, trying to run-

"Not so fast!" she snapped, stamping her bleeding foot down on a length of cloth next to her leg. "I might not be any good at Dad's rope tricks, but I don't need to be." The rope, cannibalised from her jacket's body, pulled taut, the other end of it tied around the branch halfway through Donoghue's shoulder. He stumbled, not able to loose it in time-

 _KRSH!_

"Aaargh!" Donoghue yelped, his legs pinned beneath the branches, with just enough room to not have them totally crushed. "You bitch!"

"Remind me, you said you were going to kill me, right?" she snarled, Achtung following her around to look him in the face. "Make my Dad suffer, right?"

"Y-you were meant to be weak! You're just some spoilt brat!"

"And you're just some angsty prick!"

"YUYUYUYUYUYUYUYUYUYUYUYUYUTUU!" was Achtung's contribution, pummelling the trapped student into unconsciousness before he could regain control over his Stand. Shizuka glared for a moment longer, making sure he was really out for the count before she let out the breath she'd been holding.

"Oh my God, I can't believe that worked, I'm so freaked out right now..." she mumbled to herself as she sat down. Achtung patted her shoulder comfortingly, snapping her out of her stupor. "Oh, Achtung. Hey, we... we really beat him, didn't we?"

Achtung stared pointedly at her pocket, specifically the phone with... four missed calls from Dad. "Greeaat... Hey, Dad."

 _"Shizuka! Are you alright? Where are you? What happened with the Stand user? Where's Josuke?"_

"I'm fine, Dad, there was one guy who came after me, but he's down now... Ohmigod I forgot about Josuke! Hang on the line for a second, Dad, I better go check on him!"

OoOoO

Donoghue whimpered as the tree was lifted off of him, seeing a hazy figure standing over him. "Who...?"

"Easy, now, Donoghue, was it?" soothed the man, his faint accent lilting as he crouched over the boy's legs. "How dreadful... seems Shizuka Joestar left you pretty badly beaten. That's at least four distinct breaks..." He paused, a red-and-black claw appearing over his hand as he hovered his hand over Donoghue's lower body. "Six. Two on the left leg, four on the right. Combined with your shoulder, you're looking at least two months in recovery. Probably three."

"Who the hell are you? What do you want from me?" Donoghue coughed out, a few shards of Breakeven scrabbling together to try and protect him.

"My name is Cielo. As for what I want, could I not simply be a good Samaritan? Helping someone without any expectations?"

"Everyone expects something." Donoghue spat, his shoulder pulsing in agony as the stranger bound and wrapped it.

"It's a smart man who learns that lesson early in life. I'll be honest, I don't want anything from you just yet. I want to make you an offer, first," Cielo stood up, gesturing for two other figures to approach. Donoghue couldn't quite make out any of their features, eyes blurring as the blood loss caught up with him. "I have a certain... dream is too fanciful a word, I have a goal. A goal to ensure that only those who are worthy continue to live in this world. Stand users are superior to 'normal' humans, and just as all other inferior options have done, they need to pass on for the worthy to survive. Join me, Donoghue. I will train you as a Stand Warrior, ready to lead the new era. In return, you follow my instructions. Do we have a deal?"

He panted, forcing himself to stare up at his rescuer. "Do I get to kill Joestar?" he slurred out.

Cielo's clawed hand rested on his shoulder, the other two strangers bundling him into a wheelchair. "When the time is right, I will leave Shizuka to you. But until then, you heal, and train, and ready yourself for the day you meet her again."

Donoghue grinned, and let himself fall into the darkness.

OoOoO

"He got arrested?" Shizuka exploded, incredulous. "For what? Saving everyone in Central Park?"

Joseph let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Someone was watching the confrontation between him and the Stand user. Since they couldn't see Crazy Diamond or the other one, what they saw was a grown man and woman yelling at one another, the woman falling over, and then he punched her in the face."

"...Oh. Well, when you put it that way..." she trailed off. "So. He's..."

"Because it's assault and they have witnesses, they can hold him for up to ninety-six hours, I think..." Joel called from the front seat next to Rosas, flicking through pages of information on his phone. "After that, they have to file charges formally or something?"

"Close enough. And since we don't want to alienate the police, we have to go along with what they want," Joseph nodded, leaning on his cane as they drove off. "I talked to Josuke. He's not exactly _happy_ about it, but he's going to do it. Besides, this way, he'll be close enough to keep an eye on the girl when they're both locked up, and stop her if she lashes out."

Shizuka winced. "Yeah... Listen, Dad, about Donoghue..."

"If these guys were close enough to take him away, they were close enough to attack you. The fact that they didn't is pure luck, but Goddamn am I glad they didn't. In the meantime, I've got something else to teach you. You and Joel both."

The teen blinked, turning to the Joestars with a raised eyebrow. "What's this now?"

Shizuka's face slowly shifted into a grin, echoing the excitement on Joseph's own face. "Ripple, right?"

Joseph took a deep breath, his hand sparkling like sunlight for a moment. "Ripple."

OoOoO

"Mr. Joestar? It's a pleasure to finally meet you," greeted one of the two men flanking Pendleton Tower's entrance, in a thick Texan accent. "Name's Harrison Stephens, and this here's Jacob Daniels. Just got off the plane from Florida."

"Good. Joel, these are Stand users from the Foundation. You'll be working with them on security," Joseph's cane shook as he heaved himself up the steps to the front lobby. "Ugh... It's been a hell of a day, I need to sit down."

"Right away, sir," Rosas called, unfolding a wheelchair from the trunk of the car and easing the old man into it. "Ms Joestar, perhaps you could show our new houseguest to his room? I believe it's the last one on the right."

"Sure thing. Yo, Williams! Look alive!" Shizuka was practically bouncing on the spot with excitement. "Tomorrow, Dad's gonna start our training!"

"I still want to know what ripples have to do with this!" Joel called, allowing himself to be dragged after the girl, leaving Joseph alone with the two Foundation agents. Rosas saluted the trio before he left, Joseph watching the car disappear around the corner before he spoke again.

"Any word from Jotaro, Agent Daniels? Or is he still off the grid?"

"Call me Jack, Mr. Joestar. And... he's been in touch, but while the girl's case is open, he says none of them are coming back to public. It's... kinda messed up, but even with the boyfriend's confession, they're still saying that Kujo had no right to break out. Hell, they tried to pin the priest's death on her, too. You ask me, the judge doesn't want her released because of what it'll do to him." Agent Daniels shrugged, taking a deep swig out of a flask on his hip.

"Bastard," Joseph spat, before his face broke into a decidedly unfriendly smile. "Remind me to make a call to him. Someone as obsessed with reputation as that has to have a few skeletons in the closet."

OoOoO

BG snorted as Good Vibrations tore her cuffs apart like tissue paper. "Worthless. Now, where the hell's Higashikata?" She'd waited until the police had moved on before she readied her escape. Her Stand was able to deflect bullets, but after getting the absolute hell kicked out of her by the Japanese Joestar, she couldn't rely on it having the stamina to do so.

"He's in another cell," a soft, accented voice whispered. "And you _both_ will be staying here for a while."

"C-Cielo?" she gulped, the man calmly unlocking the door with a claw-covered hand. "Wha-what are you doing here?"

"Ah, of course, allow me to explain. This morning, myself and Eiffel elected to carry out a trial run with the Bronze Rain, and had the misfortune to encounter three of the Joestars. Eiffel engaged them after checking with me, given the necessity of delaying Josuke Higashikata and Joseph Joestar from discovering us ahead of time. As a result, I instructed everyone to lay low and not attract any attention. The influx of new Stand users would draw enough as it is."

"Look, I had him. If he hadn't-" BG flinched as a pair of spiked 'wings' formed from Cielo's shoulders, pinning her to the wall of the cell with two spines either side of her neck.

"Enough. I like to think of myself as a fair man. I have indulged your self-appointed 'missions' far too many times. Enough is enough, BG. I need enforcers, not _rabid dogs_. You have proven yourself unworthy of your power. Thus, until I can trust you to be responsible, I will have to _take_ it from you."

"No, Cielo, I-" she yelped as his Stand's claws sliced open Good Vibrations' chest.

"I'm not interested in your excuses. Now... Good Riddance."

OoOoO

Josuke jumped in shock as a scream echoed through the precinct. "What the hell?" he muttered, straining to try and hear what was going on.

"Josuke Higash-Hagasha... You, get back from the bars!" yelled one of the officers who'd arrested him.

"Whoa, whoa, I'm not trying anything..." Josuke blinked as more of them ran past. "What happened?"

"Get back!" the officer snapped again, drawing a taser and levelling it at Josuke's chest.

The Japanese man stopped short, hands up in surrender. The lights overhead flickered erratically, Josuke catching sight of a familiar flash of blue. "Eiffel..." he hissed, his eyes tracking the blue imp as it unfolded itself from a computer screen. The Stand caught sight of him, detonating the device with an evil grin, blue lightning dancing around it.

 _"Kehehe... Well, hello again. Sorry about BG, she's a little over-eager. She won't be a threat to you anymore, though."_

"Crazy Diamond-!" Josuke began, his Stand appearing with a deep roar of challenge, only to twist and punch aside the needles aimed at Josuke himself. The split-second where the taser's cables twitched and retracted back to the gun was enough for Eiffel to vanish into the building's wiring again. "Ah, that's just great..." he mumbled to himself as several light-bulbs exploded overhead.

 _'Shit, they're a whole crew. If Eiffel's been here messing with the electronics, then someone else must have gotten to BG. And me stuck here, totally unable to stop it,'_ he thought with a huff, slumping on the bench in his cell. _'Maybe it's time to call Jotaro. God knows, he's got more experience with this shit than anyone else... And if things are as bad as they're looking... there's always Giovanna...'_

OoOoO

"Well done, Geoffrey," Cielo praised his subordinate, laying down across the back seat of their car. "I appreciate your helping me in disciplining BG, especially after your earlier run-in with the Joestars."

"Boss, not to call you out or anything, but... don't talk about 'disciplining' a chick who's like, half your age. Sounds weird." the agent groaned, adjusting the sling wrapped around his arm.

"Indeed? The English language changes so quickly, all its connotations and innuendo... In any case, in her current condition, BG will not endanger our plans again. I'll have to remind Michael and Ellen to watch out for any new Stand users that appear. Perhaps Josuke Higashikata's healing will turn out to be to our benefit. And while we're speaking of benefits..."

Geoffrey pulled himself up, accepting the offered briefcase and opening it. He paused, conducting a few mental calculations. "Boss? This is... what, a _million_ dollars?"

"Closer to three-quarters, actually. The money clips add quite a bit to the volume. Consider it hazard pay, and I do have an additional request. Find a few places for our new recruits to stay. Shouldn't be longer than... say, three months, before money and property are no longer an issue."

Geoffrey nodded, his grin matching his Stand's as the car slowly pulled into traffic. "Consider it done, boss. What about Joestar's new assistant? Who's dealing with him?"

"Ellen's requested that particular opponent. But all in good time. For now..." Cielo smirked, glancing out at the setting sun.

"For now, we have an army to build."

OoOoO

"Okay, Mr. Joestar, how does this work?" Joel asked, stepping into an empty room Joseph had set aside for their training. "Do we start with meditation or something?"

"That's one possible method, I suppose," the old man muttered, leaning his mechanical hand on his cane and clenching the other into a fist. "Unfortunately, time is of the essence, and so we'll have to take a more direct route. Who wants to go first?"

Shizuka bounded up to him, before catching sight of his expression and pausing. "On second thoughts, Joel's going first." she smiled, seeing Joseph's little finger extend from the fist as he hobbled over to the boy.

"Alright then. Now, please hold still, I've never actually done this before..."

Joel flinched, looking over to the smirk on Shizuka's face. "Hang on, can I change my mind about- _HRK!_ " he choked, Joseph punching him in the gut with a Ripple-infused fist. A strangled wheeze escaped him as he crumpled to the ground.

"...You weren't ready." Shizuka shrugged, patting him on the shoulder.

"...hate... you all..."

 **OoOoO**

 **Another setup chapter, really. But some important setup. We found out where Jotaro is, at least.**

 **He's in probably Florida.**

 **The Stand users that Josuke has unintentionally created will start appearing soon, as will a couple of canon characters.**

 **Other Stuff;**

 **reddevil47;** The fact that Sadao never makes an appearance through Part 3, when Holly is dying, make me think that he's probably not the best husband. Something that I think probably shaped Jotaro's parenting problems with Jolyne.

 **G;** Donoghue is based on the idea of someone who's constantly been at the bottom of the social ladder, suddenly gaining power and having it go to his head, really quickly. Kind of what I imagine would have happened had Johnny gained a Stand right after his accident and humiliation, instead of stewing in it for a while. I have to imagine the smartphone era has made the Masquerade impossible to keep up. Also, it baffled me that outside of a couple off-handed mentions in Part 3 about them having to leave towns quickly, that there were hardly any times that non-Stand authorities got involved after the battles. I'm pretty sure Polnareff and Joseph are both wanted in a couple of countries.

 **The Late Artisan;** This arc has been Shizuka and Joel's intro to Stand battles. As they get more experience, the battles will become more and more complicated. It's definitely not due to me not knowing how to put together a super weird, super JoJo's battle. Not at all.

 **DAIrinchan;** The Foundation is basically a privately-run CIA, and no-one ever seems to comment on that. Hence, Joel finding them unnerving. I love the Pillar Men. I also find them terrifying, though, so I try not to think about them too much. Maybe that's why not much is done with them? 2 spoopy 4 U?

 **Anyway, let me know what you think. Catch you later!**


	8. Vs Hungry Like The Wolf (I)

**Jumping ahead a little, past some of the Ripple training.**

 **Also, because a couple of people have asked outside of reviews, Josuke healed about 50-60 people after the Bronze Rain, so there are about that many potential Stand users in and around New York at the moment.**

 **OoOoO**

 **March 25th, 2012**

 **Speedwagon Foundation Headquarters, Texas**

 _"Ugh... Feels like I got hit by a damn truck..." Jolyne groaned, pushing herself up off the hospital bed with a wince. "...Where the fuck am I?"_

 _At the end of her bed, a small figure shifted uncomfortably, the blonde head rising to look at her with bleary eyes. "Jolyne! You're awake!" Emporio cried, scrambling onto the bed and pulling her into a hug. She returned it after a moment's hesitation, feeling the boy's shoulders shaking with repressed sobs of relief._

 _"Hey, it's alright, it's alright..." she whispered, getting a better look at the room around her. It looked like a private ward or something, her single bed flanked by two comfortable-looking chairs, the curtains left open to let the sunlight fill the room. "What happened? I remember Josuke turning up at Cape Canaveral, Pucci's Stand changed into some kind of horse thing, a lot of fighting... It's kind of a blur."_

 _The young boy sniffled as he let her go, grabbing a tissue and wiping his nose. "Well... Mr Kujo came up with a plan where you could use Stone Free and Star Platinum to trap Pucci, but it went wrong when he attacked Mr Higashikata first. He... he cut up most of your strings, too, and we didn't have Mr Higashikata's Stand to heal you anymore. Anasui and Ermes pulled the two of you back, but... you were dying, you'd lost too much to wind up again."_

 _That was unnerving to hear, especially when her lower half still felt numbed- she pulled aside the blankets, finding herself in a hospital gown. Her legs were unmarked, thinner than she remembered, without any of the scars she knew she'd accumulated from all her fights. The same went for her left arm, unmarked aside from a single jagged line that ran the whole way around the limb, just above the elbow._

 _"Wait... I remember Josuke's Stand healing Dad, it didn't leave anything like this..." she wondered aloud, seeing Emporio nod solemnly, fidgeting with the bottom of his oversized hoodie._

 _"There was another guy who turned up... He... Pucci said he was Dio's son, too, but he healed you and Mr Higashikata, making new body parts for you out of nowhere. He had some kind of a pendant, and when Pucci attacked, he did something with his Stand. I don't know what it was, but it stopped Pucci in his tracks-"_

 _"It's called Requiem," Jotaro muttered, appearing from nowhere and making them both jump. "It's extremely dangerous."_

 _Jolyne opened her mouth to yell at her father, but the sight of his face stopped her cold. A raw-looking scar covered the right side of his face, starting at his hairline, cutting a straight line down over his eye and curving below it to meet his lip, the tightness of the skin seeming to force his face into a half-sneer. "Shit, Dad, what happened?"_

 _He looked her over silently, seemingly finding what he was_ _looking for since he sat down on one of the chairs, arms resting on his knees. "If it's the scar, Pucci's acceleration meant I had to choose between getting cut by his knives or letting him get past me. Since we had two, maybe three healers available there and then, it was an easy choice. If you mean with the battle... We were able to pin down Pucci's movements for a few seconds. I was right next to him, and I finished him off."_

 _Her eyes flicked down to his knuckles, wrapped in bandages, giving a lot more details than his words had. "So... wait, where's everyone else?" she asked, forcing her eyes to meet his, even with the distraction of his new scar._

 _He glanced at her with a glimmer of relief (or respect, or some generic emotion, he was_ impossible _to read) in his gaze. "Emporio was fine, so he's stayed either here or in his Stand's room. Josuke was hurt as badly as you, he only woke up last night, but he seems to be recovering. The Costello girl's been staying in another room, and your other... friend, we had to put in a holding cell under watch."_

 _"Wha- Anasui? Why?" Jolyne exclaimed, looking from Jotaro to Emporio in search of an answer._

 _"Well, um, he kind of attacked one of the doctors who was checking on you, and he... well..." the boy mumbled, looking awkward._

 _"And insisted that he be the one to change you into the gown so you could be checked in the first place," Jotaro elaborated, not reacting to her sudden blush as the implications hit her. "Given what he was in prison for in the first place, I was not inclined to let him."_

 _"You knew about that?"_

 _Jotaro leant back in his seat. "When I heard you broke out, I had the old man look into things. He'd already set up a case against that hack lawyer, but it sounded like you dealt with that yourself," Jotaro paused to give her a_ Look _. "That's going to make it a lot harder to get your conviction overturned. Not impossible, considering we've got some of the paper trail, but still. Anyway, the old man managed to track down the records for all of your group, or at least, as much as the prison had."_

 _"Who's the 'old man'?" Emporio ventured, Jolyne silently thanking him for asking before she had to._

 _"Yare Yare... I'm talking about Joseph Joestar, Jolyne's great-grandfather. He lives in New York, but he's got enough resources to find whoever you're looking for," Jotaro explained, pulling the brim of his hat down to shade his eyes. "He's organised a safehouse for you two, before anyone comes to try and throw you back into prison. We'll head out in a few days, once you're rested up."_

 _Jolyne paused at the quiet affection in her father's voice. "Thanks... for coming to save me, Dad."_

 _"That's what a father's supposed to do..." Jotaro yawned softly, slumping in his seat and breathing slowly, falling asleep in a matter of seconds._

 _Jolyne frowned, trying to get to her feet and finding them too weak to support her weight. Another yawn drew her attention to the third person in the room. "Emporio... have you been sleeping?"_

 _"A little... I've been worried, though..." he replied sheepishly. She shook her head with a slight smile, pulling herself back into the bed and sliding up against the wall._

 _"Come on, there's enough room." she cocked her head, gesturing to the free half of the bed that still remained. Her right arm unravelled, pulling the curtains shut with only a little difficulty._

 _"Um.. but I..."_

 _"Emporio, I don't think either of us really want to be alone right now. Humour me?" she tried again, the sleeping preteen finally acquiescing and climbing in next to her, curling into a ball under her free arm. "That's better. Sleep well, kid."_

 **OoOoO**

"So, after much consideration," Joseph declared, glancing at Joel's position on the floor and Shizuka's ragged gulping for air. "It may be time to enlist some teachers with more... _teaching_ experience. I can tell you've got some talent, Shizuka, but I've been using the Ripple all my life, so I'm not sure how to best start you off. Once you have some practise, I can show you some tricks, but until then, we're at something of a loose end. Joel..."

"I suck at this, right," the teen groaned weakly. "Can't I just buy some UV flashlights and use those instead? It's not like I can't keep them close at hand." He gestured weakly to Piano Man, who pulled out two cans of soda from behind Shizuka's head.

"Thanks," the girl commented, as one was offered to her. "He has a point, Dad. Not that having more superpowers isn't cool, but maybe having something as a backup would be a good idea?"

Joseph didn't answer for a moment, cocking a brow at Piano Man until it produced a third drink for him. "I can't argue that. But Ripple has other benefits, too. It can assist healing, give you better control over your own body, and theoretically enhance your Stand's power."

"What." Shizuka stated flatly. "How does breathing in a specific rhythm make your soul stronger?"

"The Stand is connected to the body, too," Joel reminded her. "I guess if you're in better condition, so is your Stand?"

"That's the prevailing theory," the older Joestar agreed, lowering himself into his wheelchair with a grunt of exertion. "Ugh, I'm too old for this shit... Anyway, Joel, while I have you here, we need to discuss something."

"If it's about the bar, that was all Jack's idea, I haven't even gone in there," Joel immediately cut in, raising a finger to punctuate his point. "And that had nothing to do with what you were going to talk about, did it?"

"No, but I have a feeling that's going to come up again..." Joseph shook his head. "No, this is more to do with you personally."

"Okay, go ahead," the boy sighed, squinting up at the piece of paper in Joseph's hand. "... Is that a cheque?"

OoOoO

"I don't like this," Joel muttered to Shizuka, stepping into the bank lobby and wincing at the size of the queue. "This feels... wrong, if I'm trying to go legit."

"What's the big deal? You have your ID ready, you've got the money to pay your deposit..."

"Okay, the deposit's not the issue, it's the ID, and you should know that," Joel rolled his eyes. "What happens if they find out there's no Joel Williams? As interesting as it could be to take over a prison, I'd still prefer not to go." He paused, sniffing at something metallic that he couldn't quite place.

"You have a passport and a birth cert, that's more than I had when Dad brought me to New York," Shizuka pushed him forwards as the queue shuffled along. "And they're not going to open a full CIA investigation for Joel Q Randomguy, so you're fine with what you have."

"Your childhood must have been very interesting," Joel commented neutrally, accidentally bumping into the hunched, shaking figure in front of him. "Oh, jeez, sorry, man... Hey, are you okay?"

The man nodded, a little too fast, hugging his torso. "Y-Yeah, 'm fine, just-" he cut himself off, coughing raggedly. "J'st a flu or somethin'."

"Well, if you're sure..." Joel muttered doubtfully. "Huh, the line's moving pretty quick..."

"Well, I guess they need to be organised here." Shizuka chirped, tapping his pocket and muttering a quiet thanks when Piano Man passed her a set of headphones, setting up a music playlist and humming along with the music from her phone.

OoOoO

 _'Shut up, I'm not letting you back out!'_ Dan Halen thought to himself, as the two teenagers behind him returned to their conversation, the girl grabbing a set of headphones from somewhere. _'Not after what you did!'_

 _ **'[ We]'**_ the rumbling sounds that could only barely be called a voice snarled back. _**'[Hungry][Eat][Stronger]'**_

 _'Not again- NEVER again. You're turning me into a monster!'_ He clutched his roiling stomach, almost able to feel it trying to digest itself. The last week had been hell for him, his symptoms worsening for the first two days until he... fed, the sickening act powering him up to almost superhuman levels.

But it hadn't lasted, and yesterday morning, the 'voice' had come back. He'd tried to resist, but that hadn't helped, and if he didn't feed again soon, he'd lose control. Or die, maybe. He didn't know which was worse...

 _ **'[PreyBehindStrong]'**_ The thing in his head (or maybe his stomach) rumbled, almost... thoughtful? _**'[EatStrong][Not-HungryLonger?]'**_ It prompted him, clearly picking up something from the two kids, some kind of aura that quickened his pulse, his breaths deepening-

 _'No! I-I'll find something. A_ _n animal,_ _or a_ _criminal,_ _or something, but I'm not letting you eat those kids!'_

 _ **'[...Agreement]'**_ It replied grudgingly, sounding almost like a scolded child in its tone. Dan let out a sigh, his stomach tying itself in slightly fewer knots. All he had to do was stay calm for a little longer...

There was a sudden creaking from the doorway, which abruptly tripled in size, an unkempt, bearded man wearing a long coat and wide-brimmed cowboy hat stepping through before it snapped back to normal, waving around a revolver and firing it once at the ceiling.

"Everyone down! This is a robbery!"

Oh, _hell..._

OoOoO

"Joel!" Shizuka hissed to her companion, the two of them practically the only customers not on the floor already. "Did you see what he did to the door? This guy must be a Stand user!" She stepped back and let Achtung's hand rest on her shoulder, vanishing in an instant.

"Hm?" the would-be robber sniffed imperiously, seeing Joel standing alone. "You there, boy! You will be my hostage! Now, take all the money from the tellers and drop it in here." he demanded, pulling a sack with a crooked dollar sign stitched on it from his coat pocket. Dropping it at his feet, he made some elaborate gestures with his free hand, the doorway groaning and shrinking to a quarter of its original size.

"Has to be eight... no, nine metres..." Joel mumbled, calculating the distance between himself and his opponent. "Nothing I haven't managed before. Hey, Buffalo Bill. I passed you something, check the bag." he grinned, folding his arms in a calculated bluff. If the guy pulled the trigger before he looked away...

Luckily, the wannabe cowboy took the bait, bending over to grab the bag, only for two hands to lunge out at him, one yanking away the gun and the other punching him in the face, knocking him backwards over something unseen, his weapon discharging into the ceiling again. Joel's aura flared as Piano Man unfolded himself from the bag and posed, his 'face' now a cocky smirk with 'winking' eyes.

"Everyone out, now!" Shizuka snapped, her voice echoing from nowhere as she kicked the gun across the floor. The exit had groaned and creaked back to normal size as soon as the Stand user had been distracted.

"Y'all got Stands, too? Now this is interestin'!" the thief cackled, blood leaking from his nose as he stood up. "I heard there were other people what can do this kind of thing from Ol' Hol Horse... But I'm on the job here. Wagon Wheel!"

The doorway shuddered and began shrinking, until Achtung Baby burst into existence above it, her arms forcing it to stay open with obvious strain. Shizuka yelled again, this time a lot more tersely. "Did I stutter, people? MOVE!"

"You heard her, go!" Joel snapped, grabbing the nearest person and pulling them up, his aura briefly snapping over to cover both himself and the man who'd been ahead in the queue-

-A moment of confusion, as _something_ jumped between them.

Joel shook his head to clear it as the civilians ran for the exit, screaming their heads off. He turned his attention back to his opponent, who was levelling his weapon at Achtung Baby with a smirk. As long as her Stand remained solid, it was vulnerable... "Oi! You're fighting me, asshole! Piano Man!"

His Stand leapt forwards, intent on pummelling the man before he could fire-

-His first punch swung wide, somehow not getting anywhere near the man despite Piano Man's speed. In fact, he seemed to be almost as far from Piano Man as he had been before the Stand had moved...

"Your Stand... it's messing with the space between us," Joel realised as Piano Man vanished, seeing how a particular knot in the floorboards was stretched out into a line, at least a metre long. "That's how you're screwing with the door, too, isn't it?"

"Good eye you got there, boy," his opponent grinned, the air flickering as he reached out and grabbed his gun again, levelling it at Joel as Achtung Baby finally extracted herself from the closing door frame, the civilians all having escaped. "Wagon Wheel's got the power to stretch or shrink any space I can see, however I want it to. But now you know that, I can't let you go. When you get to Hell, tell the Devil you rode Carter."

All three combatants paused at that as the insinuations occurred to them. Joel cleared his throat. "What if we pretend you didn't say that last bit?"

"Much obliged." Carter nodded, seeming to come closer as his finger squeezed the trigger.

 _Click!_

"Um," Carter gulped, taking a second look at his weapon and realising it was no longer loaded. Achtung Baby vanished from sight as Piano Man climbed out of Joel's hood, the monochrome Stand holding up four bullets held between his fingers.

"Yeah, a revolver's kind of handy because you can load or unload the bullets individually," Joel smirked, Carter gesturing with the outline of a Stand briefly surrounding him to throw Joel and his Stand further away. "But then, that just made it easier for Piano Man to grab them, too. Bad luck, Sundance."

"I don't get that one!" Shizuka announced, her hand closing around Carter's wrist and returning to visibility, Achtung looming over her.

"Like, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? It's not the most obvious one, I'll admit... Just kick his ass so we can get going." Joel smirked, Achtung Baby pulling back to unleash a powerful flurry of blows.

"You brats ain't won yet! Wagon Wheel can fight, too!" Carter screamed, in what was most definitely a manly way. Not like a scared little girl in the slightest.

There was a flare of blue light as his Stand appeared in full. Its skin was a smooth, metallic blue; two three-fingered hands on thin arms, the upper arms each comprised of helices. The lower body, rather than legs, tapered down to a large wheel, stretching from Carter's waist height to the floor. Two large humps formed a rounded crescent shape on its upper back, and, weirdly, a horse's head with realistic brown eyes and flowing white mane.

Its arms blurred into motion, striking Achtung Baby dozens of times in a second. "EYEYEYEYEYEYEYEYEYEYEYEYEYMAMAA!"

"Shizuka!" Joel burst out, seeing the girl stumble back and press a hand to her chest. "No!"

"Wahahaa!" Carter boomed, hands on his hips as his gun clattered, forgotten, to the floor. "Killed her so fast, she didn't even have time to react, eh? Nice work, Wagon Wheel!" he laughed, his Stand hunched over in front of Achtung Baby. "Hang on a second..."

"...Shizuka?" Joel ventured, since she still wasn't reacting.

"I-" she stopped, examining herself. "I'm-I'm actually fine?" she answered, sounding confused. "I mean, I felt it, but..."

"Fine? You're supposed to be dead!" Carter snapped, turning to his Stand with a growl. "What the hell did you- Oh." He blinked, suddenly very quiet, as Wagon Wheel showed off its bent, twisted fingers with teary eyes. His gaze moved downwards, seeing his own mangled hands. He seemed to realise his pain at that point.

"So... Really weak?" Joel ventured, seeing Carter sobbing on the ground. "I guess that makes sense. Super overpowered ability, good range, there had to be some weak point."

"I kind of feel bad," Shizuka agreed, seeing the grown man try to wipe his eyes and instead jostle his broken bones even more. "Let's just both punch him and end it with some dignity."

"Agreed. On three?" Joel counted down on his fingers, the two humanoid Stands flanking the downed enemy and drawing back their fists. "...two, three!"

Piano Man's fist smacked into Achtung's visor, bloodying Shizuka's nose, while Achtung's collided with Piano Man's gut, knocking Joel off his feet. They snapped back to their previous positions instantly, as Wagon Wheel scooped Carter onto its back.

"Fools!" the man sneered, the effect somewhat ruined by the snot and tears still dripping down his face. "N-Now I've got you both, it's time for my t-tactical retreat! Remember this as the day you survived a battle against the notorious Carter Dylaaaaaaaannnnnn..." he announced, the last word getting drawn out as the wheel spun into motion, warping the space outside and carrying the thief into the distance.

Joel groaned, resting his forehead against the cool floor. "I can't believe _that_ idiot beat us."

"Only technically..." Shizuka objected, sighing. "Dad's not gonna let us hear the end of this, is he?"

"I didn't even want a stupid bank account!"

OoOoO

Dan stumbled to a halt in an alleyway, black leaking out of his mouth and dripping to the floor. Whatever aura the teenagers had used to summon their... Stands, the cowboy had called them, the energy had resonated with the monster he'd found inside himself.

 _ **'[Concern][Hunger][FeedHeal?]'**_ the voice rumbled, black swirling in a pool at his feet. Two red eyes burst open in the pool, the growling taking on a more decisive tone as the black reshaped itself into a black-furred, red-eyed shape. _**'[HuntPrey]'**_

"Wait, no! Don't hurt anyone! What even are you? Why attach yourself to me?" Dan choked, exhaustion overwhelming him briefly as the connection between them dimmed to almost nothing. "What... What do I even call you?"

 _ **'[Power][InsideYou]'**_ The wolf-like monster replied, nostrils opening on its snout as it flowed around a corner. _**'[Name...][DuranDuran]'**_

OoOoO

Joel grimaced as the pair bundled themselves into Rosas' car. "What is that? I've been picking up on that smell since we arrived, and I can't think where I know it from."

"Perhaps, Mr Williams, it could be related to your missing memories?" Alex ventured from the front seat. "They say that people can recall scents with even more clarity than sights or sounds."

"No, it's..." Joel blinked, taking up a bloodied handkerchief. "It's blood."

"Well, yeah, no shit, Sherlock." Shizuka snarked nasally, having plugged her own nostrils to contain the nosebleed.

"Not the handkerchief, the smell! That guy in front of us reeked of blood and meat!" Joel leapt out of the car, examining the pathways leading away from the intersection. "And it was fresh, too. I can't believe I let an idiot distract me from something so obvious!"

"Mr Williams, please. Without any clues as to where he's gone, you won't be able to track him down. In any case, why assume he's a criminal? What if he were a butcher? Or a surgeon? Would that not explain a lingering scent of blood?" Rosas sighed, getting out of the car and resting his hand on the roof. "While I understand your reasoning, don't assume evil without proof. That's dangerous for both sides."

Joel clenched his teeth, his instincts screaming at him to find the potential enemy despite the chauffeur's advice. Shizuka climbed out after him, mouth already open to scold him until she glanced past Rosas. "Get down!"

He almost made it, throwing himself to the side as a whirl of red muscle and jagged fangs snapped shut on his arm, wrenching it off with a sickening ' _spltch_ ' and crashing down on the car's engine block like an anvil. "Wha- What was-?"

"Another fucking Stand? _WHY?_ " Joel exploded, Piano Man bursting out of him to yank Rosas free. The black liquid reshaped itself into a massive dog, though its jaw was far too long, full of uneven teeth and bloody flesh. Rosas' arm jutted out from its side, very slowly being absorbed into the sludge.

A red eye opened on its face, slowly sliding back along its flank to look at the stage magician-esque Stand. _**"Strong."**_ it rumbled, in a deep, feral voice. _**"Good Hunt. Good Feeding."**_

 ** _"Run."_**

 **OoOoO**

 **So, bit of a mixed mood here. A quick look at the aftermath of Made in Heaven up top, and don't worry, there'll be more scenes about the battle itself in due time. I wanted to try my hand at writing both Jolyne and Jotaro, and I'm happy enough with what I did, even if Jotaro's probably way too chatty...**

 **New Stand!**

 **Wagon Wheel - Carter Dylan**

Power; E - Durability; E - Speed; A - Precision; B - Range; C - Potential; A

Wagon Wheel can manipulate the 'length', 'depth' and 'breadth' of a set area of space that the user can see. This can be used to increase or decrease distances, or to curve the path a moving object takes, redirecting it without changing its momentum. Its wheel and 'saddle' are also strong enough to support a single 'rider', using its space warping abilities to cover long distances in a short time. However, it is otherwise very weak and fragile, and it cannot adjust any space occupied by a living thing, only the air/space around them.

 **Other Stuff;**

 **G;** Maybe the UN and the Foundation did have some kind of agreement, but considering how often politicians and representatives change in real life, I imagine at least one version of the UN would be very opposed to what is, basically, a private intelligence operation connected to one of the wealthiest men in the world, and his extended family. Governments don't usually like individuals having too much power unless they can manipulate them, and Joseph... is not what you'd call easily fooled. Plus, he's a troll, and Jotaro's an asshole, so... not great at impressing politicians.

 **reddevil47;** That is... an incredibly kind thing for you to say. I only hope I can live up to it.

 **DAIrinchan;** Joseph's catchphrases were the best, weren't they? Why didn't Josuke ever use them? Or Jolyne, considering she's a lot like Part 2 Joseph? Would have been fun, and tie the family together even better than Yare Yare.

 **Catch you next time!**


	9. Vs Hungry Like The Wolf (II)

**Happy New Year, everyone! A more difficult battle this time, with Shizuka and Joel facing the vicious Duran Duran!**

 **And a shorter flashback section this time, but one that's important.**

 **Probably important.**

 **Maybe.**

 **OoOoO**

 **April, 1939**

 _"This... is a lot to take in..." Joseph admitted, sitting across from both Lisa Lisa and Erina. "So you're my... mother?" The last word came out as a half-strangled squeak, as the young man squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. "That's... that's, uhh, great?" he tried, looking over his shoulder at his Uncle, smiling softly._

 _"You're taking this very calmly, Joseph," the brunette Ripple Master commented. "I thought you'd be more... energetic, in your reaction."_

 _Erina cleared her throat. "Take some time to process the information, JoJo. I'm going to make some tea for us all. Or is it coffee for you, Elizabeth?"_

 _"Black, no sugars, please." the younger woman smiled. Speedwagon moved with surprising grace, supporting Erina and escorting her to the kitchen._

 _"I know they've denied it, but I'd swear there's something between those two..." Joseph shook his head, looking from their retreating forms back to his teacher. "You'd better not light that, Granny Erina hates the smell of cigarettes. Says it'll never come out of the cushions."_

 _Lisa Lisa paused with the offending cigarette held between her lips. "Well, I suppose I am a guest here... Joseph. I did have a second topic I needed to discuss with you."_

 _"I'm not sure if I can handle any more surprise revelations today- Oh, God, Suzi Q's not secretly your daughter, is she?" Joseph's eyes widened as all the blood rushed away from his face._

 _"No, of course not," she admonished him without raising her voice in the slightest. "It's about the eruption. Specifically, about your fall back to Earth."_

 _"I really don't know what more I can tell you. The whole thing is just a blur after Kars was launched away from me, up until the fishermen pulled me out of the sea. I don't even know how I survived the impact."_

 _A light flashed around Lisa's body for a few seconds, travelling down from her torso through her limbs and collecting as a wave in her fingers before popping like a balloon. "The Ripple can be used to create simple barriers. They have a level of elasticity to them, allowing them to cushion impacts. However, they're far too cost-intensive and take too long to create to be useful in a combat situation."_

 _"I... remember this. I tried making one against Loggins once, and he chewed me out over it. What are you saying? That I managed to create a strong enough barrier to survive the crash?" Joseph scoffed, looking away. "It was pure luck, honestly."_

 _"Joseph." Lisa's voice was stern, her eyes burrowing into his. "What happened to the Stone?"_

 _"It fell during the eruption, like I told you-"_

 _"If you could create even a weak barrier, the Stone's Ripple-enhancing properties would magnify it at least a hundred-fold. That would easily cushion the impact of your fall," Lisa stared impassively at him, making him squirm uncomfortably. "You know what could happen if that stone ends up in the wrong hands. Santana might be held in custody, for now, but we can't guarantee he'll never break free. I need to know that's not going to happen."_

 _Joseph took a deep, sobering breath. "No-one's going to find it. The Red Stone of Aja_ is _lost, I promise you that."_

 _Lisa met his determined glare as the other two members of their group returned. "...Good. Now that that's settled, there's only one last thing we need to bring up," she took a sip of the coffee Speedwagon offered her with a nod of thanks. "Why, exactly, did you not invite any of us to your wedding?"_

 _"Yes, JoJo, why is that?" Erina pressed, her smile not giving him any hope of this being an easy conversation._

 _Joseph gulped, forcing his face into a weak grin. "A-About that..."_

OoOoO

Piano Man's fists snapped up to intercept the flowing form of the enemy Stand, managing to knock out a few of its uneven teeth and taking only a few scrapes in return. Joel winced at the blood running down his knuckles, seeing the 'wolf' reform its jaw as though it hadn't been touched. "Shit. You barely even felt that, did you?"

 _ **"Prey. Strong... spirit. Enough to repair. Show your Spirit!"**_ it intoned, its paws seeming to meld with the stone underneath them, flowing into the cracks and-

"Shit! Shizuka, below you!" Joel snapped, Achtung Baby appearing around the Joestar just in time to block a white-tipped lance of black. She threw out a backhanded strike, knocking out the white spine and prompting the black ooze to retreat.

"He's after both of us, we'll need to split up!" she cried back, hurriedly binding Rosas' arm as best she could, one eye still fixed on the Stand attacking them. "Get moving!" The sheer force of her tone got through to Joel, spurring him into a run, followed only a second later by the mysterious Stand.

"Ms Joestar... I-I think..." the chauffeur panted, sweat pouring down his face. He was clearly going into shock. "No... You need to run, too..."

"I can't leave you alone!" she snapped back, as Joel darted into a side street and out of sight.

"Shizuka, listen to me," Alex calmly muttered. "If that thing's after you or Joel, then you need to stay away from it. I'm not a target, just someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'll be fine, but if you don't get moving, it'll just loop back around to find you here."

"Rosas..." She blinked away the water building in her eyes. "I'll call for help, get inside the bank, alright? You should be safe there."

"Of course, Ms Joestar. Good luck to you." he smiled weakly, shaky steps carrying him through the broken front window left from Wagon Wheel's escape.

Tucked away inside the building, his eyes slowly closed, breathing slowing down. The worst of the bleeding had stopped, but he just felt so faint...

OoOoO

Josuke started when his phone rang, distracting him from the report he'd been reading. Wherever Jotaro had hidden himself, it was obviously effective, since not even Joseph knew how to find him unless he made the first move. And outside of a few phonecalls to Joseph, he wasn't making any moves whatsoever. Hopefully now that the judge what's-his-name had been found guilty of corruption, they could get Jolyne's sentence overturned, or at least reduced.

Seeing his sister's name pop up on the caller ID, Josuke sighed, feeling a pit appear in his stomach. "It's another Stand, isn't it?" he groaned as he answered, not even bothering with greetings.

 _"Two of them, but one's already gone. This one attacked Rosas and it's gone after Joel! You need to come down to the bank, now!"_ she babbled, the words coming out in a rush.

" _Two_?!" he couldn't help exclaiming. "Dad's never going to let you leave the tower again. Stay put, I'm on my way!"

 _"No can do. This thing has to be a long-range Stand, there's no-one left here after the robbery. I have to keep moving, stay away from it until I can find some way to beat it."_ she relayed, cutting the call short with a grunt of goodbye.

That was aggravating, to put it mildly. Long-ranged Stands were a pain in the ass to try and fight, especially when they all tended to deliberately mislead people from their users... he threw his coat on, rushing out to the hall and narrowly avoiding a collision with Joseph. "Dad, Shizuka and Joel-"

"I heard. Our two security officers are heading down to grab a car, go with them. I'll be in the bar, I'll try to track them with Hermit Purple." Joseph grunted, brushing past Josuke as he hobbled for the elevator.

Josuke paused for a second when he reached the stairs. "Wait, what bar?"

OoOoO

Joel jumped, Piano Man's arms extending upwards and grabbing the fire escape attached to the side of the building. His Stand pulled him upwards, onto the metal staircase, before returning to its previous position hovering just behind him.

"Okay, let's take stock. Its physical form is very malleable, able to manipulate its size and shape to better attack me... its teeth aren't actually attached all that firmly, and they're really inconsistent shape-wise... and punching it does nothing," he mumbled to himself, having lost the beast somewhere in the alleyways. "Either the user is following me around, or this thing doesn't actually need to stay close to him, which is even more terrifying-" he flinched as a shadow fell over him, a bird passing overhead. "-And it's making me super paranoid. Wonderful."

His phone buzzed, showing a message from Shizuka; { _Where are you?_ }

As he began typing out his reply, the bird flew overhead again, now circling overhead like a vulture. In fact, it seemed a lot bigger than he'd first thought, easily the size of a bald eagle if not bigger, the sunlight behind it making the feathers look totally black-

"Ah, shit," he groaned, launching himself back down to ground level before the black missile from overhead. Piano Man flailed in mid-air, diverting his fall onto a pile of trash bags and cardboard piled up against the wall. "Ugh, thank God for recyclers..."

 _ **"Found you, prey,"**_ the Stand growled, its new 'beak' rippling to show more teeth than any bird should ever have. But what seemed even more disturbing was how its voice sounded more... natural, as though it was getting used to talking. _**"This is the end."**_

"Hang on, hang on, this doesn't make any sense," Joel pointed out, Piano Man searching for an ambush point in range. "You're a Stand that hunts down people, I get it, but... why? Why absorb Rosas' arm at all? And the way you keep calling me 'prey', you... you actually _need_ to eat people, don't you?"

 _ **"Clever child, but not enough. No more** **escape."**_ The Stand curled in on itself, forming a red-eyed snake with a mouth full of misshapen fangs and lunging for Joel.

"RARADEE!" Piano Man snapped, punching the snake's head hard enough that it missed Joel entirely, only to be struck itself by the tail that followed, the curved spines embedded in the black tearing open Piano Man's 'shirt' and making a dark stain appear across Joel's t-shirt.

Taking the moment before it reformed as a head-start, he darted off again, feeling Piano Man tap something out on his phone as he darted from one block to the next, scattering the crowds away from the seemingly insane teenager. "Now, hopefully I can lose him again- Oh, what the actual fuck!" he exclaimed, as a black deer leapt out in front of him, its antlers made up of white spikes tied together by black tendrils. "How did you even find me... whoever you are?"

 _ **"Prey is marked,"**_ it replied simply, nostrils flaring. _**"You will die to Duran Duran."**_

"Duran? Isn't that a fruit?" Joel muttered, hands held up in surrender. "Look, you've pretty clearly got me cornered, just... don't draw things out, alright? I'm not a huge fan of being in agony."

 _ **"Smart prey, but... Still such a strong Spirit.** **Why?"**_ Duran Duran rumbled, reshaping and reforming into a vicious-looking lion, black fur bristling.

"Well, this actually makes things a little awkward..." Joel grinned, eyes looking past the shapeshifter. "You know, since cats hate water and all..."

"YUTUU!" roared a voice, Achtung Baby appearing in a burst of sparkling aura and throwing a punch at a hydrant. The metal groaned and burst, water spraying out of it at high pressure and slamming Duran Duran against a wall, the pressure pinning it in place and leaving it snarling and flailing.

"Took you long enough," Joel grinned, sagging in relief. "But at least you came. Thanks, 'Zuka..."

"Oi, only Josuke and Okuyasu can call me 'Zuka!" the girl smirked back, flickering back to normal visibility. "He should be on his way, but we're already a couple blocks out from the bank... It might take a while for him to get here. We'll have to... Joel? Where'd the monster go?"

Joel darted over, casting a suspicious eye over the raw meat splattered against the wall and sidewalk. His foot nudged against something solid with a soft _chnk!_ Kneeling down, he carefully turned over the broken chunk of white- "Fuck."

"What?"

"This is... this is part of a skull," he gulped, his gaze flicking across the 'teeth' scattered around him. "And I think I've figured out what this thing does. It uses the meat and bone from the things it kills to make itself bigger and get weapons for itself. It must have ducked out..." he trailed off, pointing at a grate where the water was swiftly draining away. "...Shit."

"..Shit," Shizuka swore in agreement, the pair of them ducking back through to the alleyway. "What the hell do we do now?"

"...This is the guy from the bank. That's what the smell was... We'll need to find him- you say Mr Joestar can track people, right?" Joel muttered, Piano Man dropping a phone into his hand. "What's he need to do that?"

"Um... A name, a picture... a clue as to _where_ he's looking for the guy, he just needs a starting point," his companion hissed back, watching as his Stand produced a notebook and pencil, sketching an image of the mysterious Stand user and holding it up to the phone. "Huh. Good idea."

"It had to happen sometime-" Joel cut off suddenly, as a whirl of black shot up through a crack on the floor and lunged at Shizuka, moving fast enough that even Achtung Baby couldn't quite intercept it. "NO! SHIZUKA!" He bellowed, Piano Man trying and failing to tear off the slick material as he dashed for her.

The black goop wrapped around the girl's torso, oily cables snapping her arms to her sides and similarly restraining Achtung Baby. Shizuka took a deep breath just as the ooze swept up to cover her head. Piano Man paused, holding out a hand to stop Joel from grabbing at her as an eerie hum filled the air.

Duran Duran's form warped and bulged, a single red eye opening and looking around in panic. It expanded out into a bubble, until, with a burst of sparkling light, it practically exploded off of Shizuka's body, leaving the girl gasping for air as black splattered against the wall.

"Ugh, that was gross-umph!" Shizuka coughed, unexpectedly finding herself caught up in a hug by Joel, who seemed just as shocked by his action as she was.

"Ahem... sorry..." Joel let go and shook his head wildly. The phone, almost forgotten in his hand, beeped twice, showing a photo of a crude map in what looked like... salt? "What the hell is this?"

Shizuka snapped the phone out of his hand, a smile growing across her face. "Dad came through. Follow me, quick!" she chirped, darting back the way Joel had originally come, pausing at the intersections and streets as they ran.

"So... that was Ripple?" Joel panted, as they stopped short at a set of lights, Shizuka's attention firmly on the pictures still coming into the phone. "I thought you were still having trouble?"

"Guess I just needed a push- it's green, let's go," she replied, sounding distracted. "But that was... really tiring, and I don't think I actually _did_ much to it. It- it's like, oily, or something, like everything just slides off it without really reaching the inside? I don't know, that's the best way I can really explain it."

"Huh- Hang on, I think I've got a plan, just give me a second." Joel's eyes were dark as he strode into a store halfway to their estimated destination. With his coat slung over his shoulder and his shirt covered in blood, he was attracting a lot of attention-

-Until she caught sight of Piano Man scooping random items into... nothing. Shizuka groaned as she made the connection. "Right. Pickpocket Stand," she shook her head as he reappeared, tossing a roll of bandages from one hand to the other. "You done? 'Cause I'll have to leave some cash here-"

"Already taken care of, give me some credit," he snorted, something moving inside his shirt, the bandages gone from his grip. "Back to the map, where're we headed, sis?"

"Right, let's go!" she began, stalling when she spun on her heel. "Wait, what did you just call me?"

Joel blinked. "I-I said Shizuka, right? Look, I've lost a good chunk of blood, and all this running isn't helping. We can work out what to do on the way." He shrugged, gesturing for her to move on.

She opened her mouth to say something, only for a new map to appear on the phone with a beep, bringing her back to her plan.

OoOoO

Dan groaned feebly, his skin turning to a waxy grey and his muscles shrinking. The black flickered over his vision, coalescing into the shape of a scarlet-eyed cat, its 'whiskers' drooping with the weight of their own ooze. "Please... just kill me..."

 _ **"No! The prey is close, almost here. We will feed, we can survive this!"**_ the demonic spirit boomed, sounding almost... pleading. _**"All we need to do is hold out a little longer. The space below holds enough to feed on for now. I will return soon."**_ it rumbled, softer, as it flowed down to the sewers with a sound of twisting flesh.

Dan's exhaustion returned, his hand dropping limply to the ground. Something in him was thrumming, refusing to let him slip away into unconsciousness and be done with it. _'I hope those kids got away...'_

OoOoO

"Next left, and then the alley on our... right," Shizuka relayed, looking at the screen and muttering to herself, until an actual message appeared at the top of the screen. "Oh, damn."

"What? Who's texting me?" Joel craned his neck, catching the _'where r u 2?!'_ scrawled across the top. "Ah, crap. Your brother, yeah?"

"Texting him back, he'll be here," the girl smiled weakly. "Listen, we have to get this guy before his Stand attacks anyone else. We can hold him off until Josuke catches up."

"Alright, then-MOVE!" Joel snapped, ducking to the side as a swirl of black tore through a manhole cover. "I'm ready for you, Duran Duran! Take this!" he snarled, Piano Man tossing a bag of flour straight at the monster's single visible eye. With that forced shut, the sludge pulsed twice, forcing open two eyes where eyes should not be as it settled on a form.

"A fucking bear?" Joel whimpered, as the ten-foot-tall form reared back and let out a blood-curdling roar. "Where'd you find the muscle mass for that one?"

 _ **"Prey below."**_ it rumbled in response, its 'teeth' poking through the outside of the jaws. Its 'left' eye swivelled around to its flank, as a flour-covered ball of its ichor broke off from the main body, twitching violently before falling still.

"Shizuka, hide yourself and keep going, I'll delay this guy here," the male teen bit out, sweat pouring down his brow. "Don't forget about the marks he talked about. Or about Plan B."

"Be careful, Joel." Shizuka's voice echoed from everywhere at once, Achtung Baby disappearing as she spoke. The girl herself had turned invisible almost instantly, as Duran Duran's head whipped around from side to side.

 _ **"A trick? No matter, I can still- What are you doing?"**_ Duran Duran cocked its head as Joel pulled out a sheet and draped it over his shoulders as a cape.

"I decided if I'm going to be doing this whole 'fighting villains and monsters' shtick, I should go all-out, you know? Presentation is important!" Joel posed, drawing one side of his accessory across his torso and pointing his other hand straight up over his head. Duran Duran snarled, rearing back on its hind legs-

"RARARARARADEE!" Piano Man screeched, his hands flashing out from under the cape and tossing out small bottles that shattered on impact with the whipping ooze. Joel ducked to the side, the 'bear' slamming through the wall behind him and tearing the end of his cape to shreds.

 _ **"BURNING? WHAT IS THIS?"**_ it bellowed in pain. Something was hissing on its skin as thin threads of goop extracted pieces of glass from its 'flesh'. There was a whirl of black and red as it jettisoned a chunk of its own body, complete with a quivering pile of meat, seemingly being burnt away.

"A nice mix of different things. Oven cleaners, some salt, a little bit of raw bleach. Just the thing to burn away at all that flesh you stole," Joel panted, hearing a sudden cry of agony nearby. "And it looks like you follow a few of the rules - your user's not having a good time right now, either."

Duran Duran's lips curled back, revealing misshapen curves and spikes of bone that didn't even look like teeth. _**"You are a diversion, then. But I know the other has gone for Halen. She will not make it. She carries your marking."**_ It convulsed, dividing itself into two distinct shapes, one twisted with too many limbs, the second lithe with a tail flicking behind it.

"A spider and a... leopard? You're like a one-man zoo," Joel laughed weakly, his Stand hovering protectively over him as the two animals took form, each one having a single red eye encompass its entire 'face'. "Call it even?" he tried, backing up to the far wall with his hands raised.

 _ **"You have been... a problem,"**_ the arachnid mumbled in response, before the feline form abruptly folded itself to face the other direction and took off at a sprint. _**"So I will have to stop you where you stand."**_ It shook itself, a thin black line trailing along the ground towards its other half.

"Nice pun?" the teen tried, lining up a shot on the disappearing form-

 _Spltch!_

"Argh! Son of a bitch!" he yelped, a web of black webbing pinning his hand to the ground and constricting painfully around it. "What the shit is this?" he bit out as the monster lunged for him, only missing his head with a second shot thanks to Piano Man kicking a leg out from under it.

It hissed angrily, its eye refocusing on him just in time for his Stand to punch it directly. Something shattered as the ooze clamped shut over the glove and crushed it, Joel's free hand practically imploding in a burst of gore. He screamed in agony, cradling his mangled limb to his stomach and ignoring the monstrous spider as it tossed more webbing to either side to stop him escaping.

 _ **"I commend you for your spirit, but your efforts end here,"**_ it clicked out, rat-skull mandibles clacking off one another as it swept Joel's lost fingers into its body. _**"Your acids won't harm me any further, that is just a brief pain-"**_

"SHUT-! Shut the fuck up!" Joel gritted out, wrenching his 'good' hand free from the webbing, glancing at the net that had enclosed them both. "I was going to hold you here as long as I could, but if it's you or me... Piano Man! Start the fire!"

Piano Man leapt upwards, pulling his mangled cape and using it as a screen to drop more bottles over the impromptu battlefield, filling the air with a strange oily scent. With a shaking hand, it produced a cigarette lighter, flicking it open and creating a small flame.

 _ **"What is this?"**_ Duran Duran clacked, the strange liquid dripping from its body and forming small rivers along the pavement.

"Kerosene," the boy panted, Piano Man juggling the device in its hands with practised ease. "I mean, it'll get me too, but-" he cut his sentence short with a wince, as a burst of webbing caught the lighter in mid-air and knocked it out of reach. "Oh, very nice, very nice. But, just one question. Did you really think I only had _one_?"

A flick of his wrists sent two more lighters spinning through the air, igniting the fuel and consuming the webs in an inferno. The air filled with the sounds of agonised screeching as Joel collapsed, clutching his hand to his chest again. Piano Man grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him through the window of the building he was pressed up against.

"Goddamn! Ngh!" he swore internally, seeing the spider's body abruptly freeze in place, before dissipating in a burst of acrid black smoke and leaving behind a pile of half-rotted meat. "Holy... Nice work, Shizuka. Good plan."

He glanced down at his hand and sighed. "I really hope your brother can fix this, though..."

OoOoO

Shizuka flopped backwards as a long-limbed shape leapt over her, its lone eye splitting into three, two moving along its flanks and looking around for her. she held her breath, trying to make as little noise as possible.

She just had to hope Joel's guesswork was right... she flinched as it span on the spot, holes opening on its face and inhaling deeply as it took in the scent.

 _ **"You, too, carry the same marking as your friend. Invisible or not, you will fall here-!"**_ Duran Duran's entire body seemed to split open as a single mouth, clamping shut on the invisible shape slumped against the wall.

A muffled 'pop' rang out, something invisible splashing onto the ground. The Stand choked, spitting pieces of its supposed prey onto the pavement and shaking its head angrily.

"Not this time, you freak," Shizuka smirked, being surrounded by a visible sparkling aura. "I noticed how you didn't react all that well to my Ripple. Good thing you went for the dummy, though."

Duran Duran's leftmost eye narrowed on the now-visible remnants of its prey. Bundled pillows, soaked in a yellow, oily liquid.

"Yep," the young Joestar continued, coming back into full colour as she tightened her grip on the coiled wire leading to Duran Duran's side. "We wrapped Joel's bandages around those- which was gross, by the way- and then we filled it up with natural oils. You know what they do?" Her eyes met the enemy's with an evil grin.

It snarled at her, trying to unfurl itself from the wires-

"They let me do _this_. Muscle Blazing Overdrive!" Shizuka screamed, the sparks rushing down along the metal and rushing into Duran Duran's flesh. It made another attempt to detach itself-

"YUTUU!" Achtung Baby bellowed, splattering the beast against the ground just as Shizuka's own attack reached it. It jolted, its form seemingly locking up as parts of its consumed meat reacted to the sudden energy charge.

"Got you-" Shizuka cut herself off as part of the black sludge bulged and detonated, part of it flying past her and landing with a weak ' _splt'_. "Wow, you are really vulnerable to this..."

 _ **"Not so much as you think,"**_ whispered a voice, as the part of Duran Duran that missed her burst into motion, coiling around her neck and tightening in one fluid motion. Her attack stopped short as she stumbled deeper into the alleyway, desperately clutching at the black mass as Achtung fizzled back to wherever Stands came from. _**"You both fight well, but you have no way to actually defeat me. I cannot be harmed by your powers anymore."**_

A tendril clutched at the corner of her mouth, just as she caught sight of her last hope. "Then... 's good... that I don't... have to beat _you_." she spat, the blob's eye catching sight of the same thing and renewing its efforts to crush her windpipe. The now-headless leopard form slowly rose to its feet, pieces of its form sloughing off as it slowly locked on to its missing part.

And then the world behind them exploded into flames. Duran Duran's bodies both pausing to stare at the conflagration for just long enough.

"ACH-tung-!" Shizuka rasped, her Stand bursting out from her and rushing as far as it could, hovering just above the panting form of her target, who could only gape at the humanoid over his head. "Take him down..."

"YUUU-TUUUUU!" she snapped, a single, solid punch colliding with the man's jaw. After a long, harrowing second, his eyes rolled back in his head and his entire body went slack.

Duran Duran's bodies clenched, shrieking in protest as the Stand's connection to its user was severed. Shizuka's fingers lost what little purchase they had on her new collar as it vanished. Gasping, she offered Achtung a quick thumbs-up and collapsed to her knees.

"Take that, _stronzo_ ," she spat at the leftover pile of bone and muscle. The flames in the distance were still flickering, and she could just about hear the sounds of approaching sirens filling the air. She sighed, realising what this meant.

"They're never going to let me leave the apartment again..."

 **OoOoO**

 **So, Duran Duran has been taken down. That was a fun Stand to create. Partly based on an Irish myth I've probably misinterpreted, and partly on the Venom movie. Super creepy.**

 **Stand Stats;**

 **Duran Duran - Dan Halen**

Power; B - Durability; A - Speed; B - Precision; C - Range; A - Potential; D

Duran Duran is a parasitic Stand with a semi-liquid body. By completely covering a living thing or a loose body part, it integrates them into its body. The meat and bone can be manipulated to add mass or reshape the Stand's form. This flesh corrodes rapidly while within the Stand, and it supports itself by draining energy from its own user. It tracks its targets using its sense of smell, but lacks the ability to precisely differentiate between targets.

 **Other Stuff;**

 **G;** Any recruitment for Dan Halen is a while away, considering how uncontrollable his Stand is right now. But I won't say no.  
Maybe the Foundation has an agreement with the DoD or the CIA or someone, but considering Joseph's retired and Shizuka and Joel are underage, they'd be reeeeally scrutinised if they tried something. Especially if people saw it.

 **cutiepinkie15;** This story will have a lot of returning characters. Jotaro and Jolyne will both be appearing before Cielo's plan comes around, and basically, any major character who's still alive has at least a fifty-fifty chance of making some appearance.  
The Florida fight will be revealed as soon as I manage to write something that holds up to the hype I've put on myself. The flashbacks are there for all the JoJos, it's just that Joseph's done the most stuff, what with being ninety-two and all...

 **Joker wx;** Joel is a deliberate red herring for that. Shizuka is the JoJo of the story, since her first name can also be pronounced as "Jo" based on its kanji(I don't even pretend to understand Japanese). However, I like to think of them as forming a 'JoJo' team in this.

 **DAIrinchan;** That's really cool, and actually makes a lot of sense! The Stand is supposed to be representative of your soul, or at least part of it, so I figure mental wellness has to contribute. That's the basis for a lot of breathing and meditation-style exercises, right?  
Glad you're liking the puns and banter, they're a big part of how I write dialogue, since that's how I and my friends tend to talk to one another a lot of the time.  
You're also on point about Josuke and Jolyne not following Joseph's speech patterns. But Josuke, at least, has probably picked up one or two phrases at this point, thirteen years on... I should include him in more of the plot.

 **;** Got it in one, man! Concentrated Arrow in liquid form.

 **Catch you next time!**


	10. Solo Accompaniment

**New chapter, new developments. Also, a slight division of the team that's been forming, so...**

 **By the way, if any of you have specific flashbacks you'd like to see, I'd be glad to make attempts at them. No promises, but any inspirations I get _will_ be credited accordingly.**

 **Here you go!**

 **OoOoO**

 **Winter, 2007**

 _"Jotaro?" Joseph groaned, rubbing at his eyes as he pressed in his hearing aids. "What's up?" he asked groggily, seeing the clock next to him flashing 8:30 -8:31, actually._

 _"It's..." his grandson grunted down the phone, sounding exhausted. "Rebecca wants a divorce. I... I agreed."_

 _"Shit... What do you need?" Joseph grunted, pushing himself out of bed as Suzi shifted in her sleep. "Jotaro?" he pressed, seeing as the younger man had gone silent._

 _"It's my own fault. I didn't do anything when Jolyne got arrested, and it's not like we've had the best marriage anyway. She doesn't know about Stands, or what I do for the Foundation._ Yare yare _... I shouldn't have insisted we get married when she told me about Jolyne."_

 _"Hey," Joseph interrupted his musing. "You did the right thing, Jotaro. Maybe things haven't gone perfectly for you three, but you and I both know you've done your best to keep your family safe. All those threats, all the Stand users popping up out of nowhere over the last twenty years, you've handled them-"_

 _"You can cut the ego boost, old man. I'm a pretty shitty father, we both know that. I just hope this is the right thing to do."_

 _"I can't tell you whether it is or isn't," Joseph shrugged. "I mean, I'm good, but not_ that _good. Anyway, where are you right now?"_

 _"Philadelphia. I've finally tracked down the Stand user who's been attacking people. One hit from Star Platinum and he was out like a light. Once he's in custody, I'll find a place to stay near Headquarters-"_

 _"Jotaro, that's in_ Texas _! Get the guy locked up, I'll send a car to pick you up. You're staying in New York - don't fight me on this!"_

 _"Ugh, fine..." Jotaro grunted dismissively, but Joseph could hear the way his voice had softened slightly. "...It'll just be for a few days, all right? I'm a grown man, I can find a place for myself."_

 _"Well then, you can pay your rent by telling Shizuka some of your stories. The way Josuke's talked you up, you're like this legendary superhero or something. Tell her about the guy with the cats-"_

 _"No one's ever going to hear that story, and I have to kill Koichi for letting you know about it in the first place," Jotaro interrupted. "I'll see you later, old man."_

 _"See you, you pain in the ass..." Joseph mumbled, the connection already closed before he could take the phone down from his ear. Sighing, he dialled a new number, listening to the beeps. "Ah, sorry, is this Rebecca Kujo?"_

 _"It's... it's Rebecca Parten, now. Who is this?"_

 _"Ah, sorry. This is Joseph Joestar-"_

 _"Jotaro's grandfather, I remember your name," she cut him off. "I'm guessing he told you, then." It wasn't a question._

 _"Yeah... yeah, he did. I just... I wanted to make sure that if you or Jolyne ever needed anything-"_

 _"We're fine. It's basically been just the two of us in this family for the last few years, anyway. Jotaro's been too busy on his adventures."_

 _Despite the bitterness in her voice, Joseph pressed on, feeling suddenly defensive of his grandson. "You know that's not true. I know for a fact Jotaro's told you what he does for the Foundation-!"_

 _"You mean that story about-about ghosts and-and fucking vampires? Even if I could believe that, why would I let someone like that near my daughter? What if he wants her to get involved?"_

 _He bit back his first response, taking a deep breath and coughing quietly when something caught in his throat. "I'm sorry you feel that way. I just wanted to check in in case you needed anything. You have my number, so if you're ever in any trouble, you can call," he stated, a lot more calmly than he felt. He paused, his thumb hovering over the 'end call' button. "Just so you know, that first time Jotaro vanished, back when Jolyne had that fever? He was hunting down a serial killer in Japan. One who nearly killed_ him _multiple times. It was always to protect people, alright?_ "

 _"... Goodbye, Mr Joestar."_

 _Once again, he was left listening to silence. He groaned as he made his way out, leaning on a cane as he headed for the kitchen. He'd organise everything else after his coffee._

 _He just prayed he hadn't made things worse._

 **OoOoO**

"So, Joel's gonna be okay?" Shizuka asked, frowning as she tried to look in through the door. Once the Halen guy had been bundled up in restraints and given some proper sedation, Josuke had cleared up the injuries (and property damage) that they'd accumulated.

At least, until Joel started freaking out at the half-rotten flesh that had attached itself to his hand in lieu of actual fingers. Seemed that whatever process Duran Duran used to feed on people, it totally ruined the material, to the point where not even Crazy Diamond could fix it.

"The Foundation's getting prosthetic replacements for him and Rosas," Joseph assured her, wiggling his own artificial fingers to illustrate the point. "It'll take a couple of weeks to get everything adjusted, but he'll be fine. In the meantime..."

"I totally pulled off my own Overdrive, by the way, did I tell you that?" she chirped, seeing him preparing his 'serious discussion' face. Hopefully, she'd caught him on an off day and he'd be distracted-

"Yeah? You'll have to tell me about it at home," he smiled, giving her a look that told her how not-fooled he was. "Why don't you go say goodbye to him? Dr Green's going to take him off to get treated properly. He's a little doped up, though; after the shock he got, he needed something. Blood poisoning is a pretty serious-"

"Right, right..." Shizuka waved off the explanation, looking a little paler than usual. She poked her head into the room, seeing Joel's vacant expression struggle to focus on her. "Hey, we're heading off now. You okay?"

"'M fine," he slurred, giving her a drunken smile. "I mean, I can't feel my hands, but tha's prob'ly a good thing. Hey, b'fore you go, somethin's been buggin' me. Does the 'JoJo' thing only count for guys? 'Cause you got Joseph, 'n' Josuke, 'n' then you're Shizuka. 'S weird."

"No, it's not just them - you know how my name's Japanese, right? Anyway, the point is, you can pronounce it as 'Jo' instead of Shizuka," she explained, seeing his eyes going in and out of focus. "So I'm 'Jo Joestar', basically."

"Tha's weird..." Joel burbled. "Y'know, you r'mind me a lot of m' sizzz..."

"Wait. Were you going to say sister?" Shizuka blinked, leaning over the delirious teen. "Did you remember something? You have a sister?"

"Huh? Whazzat...?"

"Okay, I'm not going to get anything useful out of you..." she shook her head, waving as his head lolled back. "Try not to choke on your own tongue, man..."

"...'kay... seeya, Jojo... zzz..."

OoOoO

"You've been awfully quiet," Joseph commented, as he hobbled through the lobby next to his daughter. "You know they'll be fine. Might take a couple weeks more for Alex, but..."

"That's good," Shizuka nodded distractedly. "Dad, what do you think of Joel? Honestly?"

"Hm? Well... he's got some good instincts, and a very useful ability, even with his missing memories- Oh?" Joseph cocked an eyebrow at the slight twitch of Shizuka's jaw. "Do you think he's faking his amnesia?"

"No, Dr Green would've picked up on that. But... when he was panicking earlier, he said... he called me 'sis'. And I don't think he even noticed it. He said something similar when he was doped up... Maybe his memories aren't so much 'gone' as 'buried'?" she guessed, head tilting in thought. "'Cause Broken Dreams only shows pictures, so maybe when they messed with his head, they only got rid of things like names and faces, not everything..."

Joseph scratched his beard thoughtfully. "I suppose... but then, how do you fix that? I've made a call to an expert, but he's kind of fickle, so..."

"An expert? Who?"

He smirked, pressing a button in the elevator - _not_ the penthouse, surprisingly. "That's a surprise. For you and Josuke both. Anyway, want to help me intimidate some of our employees?"

"Is this about the bar?"

"Oh, yeah."

OoOoO

"What do you think?" Jack asked, leaning across the bar as Harrison contemplated the half-empty glass in front of him. "Be honest."

"Well, it tastes good, but I think you mixed all the kick out of it," the other agent shrugged. "How much did you put in, anyway?"

An empty 'clink' answered him, an empty vodka bottle appearing on the bar. Harrison blinked dumbly at it. "That, uh... was that for all three of us?"

Two more clinks, two more bottles.

"Ah, shit..." Harrison gulped, feeling something churning in his stomach. "This is going to end badly, isn't it?"

"You don't know the half of it," came an amused voice, as Joseph stepped into the room. "I'll admit it's partly my fault. I should have been keeping a better eye on you two. But I didn't think I'd need to watch out for an illegal dive bar three floors under my own _home_."

"Mr Joestar, I can explain-" Harrison began, half-smiling as he raised his hands in surrender.

"No you can't."

"...No, no, I guess I can't."

"Why do you have three bottles, anyway?" Shizuka interrupted the tentative interrogation, looking around at the bar itself as Jack downed his own glass in one gulp. Before either agent could answer her, the door leading to the bathroom opened, revealing a man in his early twenties, his hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"You guys know the sink's busted in there? Taps barely work-" he was muttering, rubbing his hands on a towel, until he caught sight of the increasingly frowning Joseph. "Uh-oh."

"You... brought a stranger in to my home?" Joseph asked softly, his eyes hardening as he gave a very unconvincing smile. "You two, the people I hired as security, started a _dive bar_ three floors under my _bedroom_ , and you decided to just bring in someone off the STREET?"

"Well, I can see this is a private conversation, so I'll just-" the newcomer began, before rushing straight for the window and leaping into the air. "Horse With No Name!" he cried as he broke through the glass. Shizuka and Joseph were the first to recover, rushing (and hobbling) over to the newly-made hole in the side of the building.

A silver-and-black motorcycle formed under the stranger as he fell, beams of pale blue light curving out from its 'headlights' and forming a ramp under its wheels. The vehicular Stand let out a mechanical roar as it took off into the fading light.

"Ah," Joseph let out a small sigh. "I was wrong. You didn't bring in just _anyone_. No, you brought in a GODDAMNED STAND USER!"

Shizuka slowly made her way back towards the elevator door, finding a good position to watch from as Joseph started working himself up to a proper rant. It was going to be great.

OoOoO

"Now, we need to talk about what's going on lately," Joseph grimaced, his expression echoed on Josuke and Shizuka's faces. "Shizuka, against my better judgement, you're not going to be kept to the tower. But I'm going to insist that either Josuke or the brewers downstairs go with you when you leave. You've gotten caught alone two times too many. And I know, I know, Joel was there too, but he has even less experience than you do."

"That's... fair, I guess," Shizuka admitted. "Josuke... I know you've been really busy the last few days, so it's fine if-"

"Oi, oi, don't go making assumptions, 'Zuka," the older man grinned. "As it happens, I've pretty much finished my share of the work. All we have to do is wait for a response." He laughed out loud at her groan of frustration.

"Ugh, another big secret? Come on, bro, it's just mean to lock me out of the loop," she whined, turning back to her chuckling father. "Dad, you can tell me, right?"

"Will you just keep bugging me if I don't?"

Her smirk was just a little too wide to be safe. "Nope. I'll tell Holly you're bullying me."

A shiver ran down the spines of both men. "You are evil," Joseph sighed. "Alright, but keep this quiet. Even Suzi doesn't know all of it yet." She nodded, sitting cross-legged on the couch as Joseph waved for his son to explain.

"You know about Jotaro's daughter, Jolyne, right? She was framed for a hit-and-run back in 2011-"

"She what?"

"Framed, remember? Anyway, it turns out the judge who sentenced her was taking bribes from people who owned prisons. He'd convict as many suspects as he could, to get them held for way longer than they should have. Half his convictions are being overturned, and Jolyne's one of them - since it turned out her ex was the one who was driving, and he made her cover it up," Josuke shook his head. "Once we get some official confirmation, she'll be free, and Jotaro'll come out of hiding."

"Huh. Might be cool to meet my... hang on... grand-neice, right?" Shizuka shook her head. "Our family tree is really weird."

"I'll get in touch with them," Joseph smirked at her expression. "They'll need somewhere to stay once everything's settled, anyway..." His expression darkened as he glanced at his phone. "I suppose you both deserve to know about this... Josuke, they've managed to wake that girl you fought last week. Apparently... she's lost her Stand." Joseph announced grimly, his hand clenching around the device.

"She _WHAT?!"_ /"THAT CAN HAPPEN?" his children exploded almost simultaneously. Both of them looked terrified, even if Josuke was quick to school his expression.

"Not entirely, she can still see Stands, and she knows what they are, but... She tried to do something with her own to escape, and it didn't work. She's been pretty much catatonic since."

"Shit." Josuke breathed. "Then, whoever Eiffel's working for is even more dangerous than we thought."

"But! I've been talking with Dr Green about it, and he thinks she's going to recover. This seems more like a 'time-out' after she attacked you, than anything final. They're transporting her to a secure facility before she can get her power back," Joseph assured the pair, patting Shizuka's head when she didn't react. "If, and I do mean _if_ , something like that happens to you guys, then we'll get in touch with our... specialist. He'll be able to fix it, once we convince him, at least."

"No..." Josuke groaned, a look of horrified realisation on his face. "Not _him_."

"Please, you're both grown men now," his father grinned. "I'm sure Rohan's just as eager to bury the hatchet as you are."

OoOoO

"Michael," Cielo greeted the shadowy figure behind him without taking his eyes off the reports in front of him. "I wasn't expecting you this evening. Is there an issue with young Donoghue's recovery?"

"Nah, boss, your new pet psycho's doin' fine. Got Elle keepin' watch on him, in case he tries attackin' anyone else," the figure sighed, with a distinct Brooklyn accent. "Got to say, I'm not sure why you brought him into it. Ain't we supposed to be leavin' the new users alone 'til we see what they can do? Not to mention how crazy he's actin'."

"He's already had his first taste of combat, Michael. With a little honing, he will make a very sharp tool for our bigger projects. He may not be trustworthy, exactly, but he is... _predictable_. Once he's no longer useful, we can eliminate him easily," the leader shrugged, though the movement was a little too sharp to seem natural. "But let's not get trapped in this discussion again. What is it you wanted with me?"

"The chick from the Central Park fight, why didn't you just kill her? Would've been easier, and you wouldn't risk those guys finding out what your Stand can do."

"Hm!" Cielo chuckled, a thin smile on his lips as Michael flinched back. "It doesn't matter what happens with B.G. anymore. By the time she regains use of her Stand, the plan will already have reached its critical point," he explained, still sounding amused. "After all, we can control what they find out, thanks to Eiffel. Any records they keep of her recovery can be deleted easily. As it stands, she's merely a distraction for them, a dead end for them to investigate. Any other news?"

"Alright... One of my informants says he found someone useful after the airport. Says it'll make for a good escape plan, or a base? I don't know, he was pretty vague on the details. I'll check it out later, but... A couple of our guys have gone missing. They were going after the ones who didn't need Higashikata's help. Could be dead, could be locked up somewhere. Nobody important's gone, but..."

"I see," Cielo held up a hand, visibly considering the information. "Investigate this yourself, when you have the opportunity. I can't trust just anyone to find a threat like this, and of our elite, you are the one best suited for stealth. Should you need it, you can bring Geoffrey as support."

"Got it, boss," Michael smirked, his shadow erupting upwards and concealing his entire body. "I'll call in once I've got more info. Black or White!" He extended his arms, still cloaked in dark smog, and fell backwards, vanishing into the floor with no trace of his presence left behind.

OoOoO

"Morning, Mom," Shizuka yawned, her hair falling in front of her eyes as she pulled her sleeves back out of her way. "Where's everyone else?"

"Good morning, bambina," Suzi smiled, raising her mug with a shaking hand as the other opened her newspaper. "Jojo's back is acting up this morning, so he's going to rest for a while. I'm not sure about Josuke, though... he was only supposed to be going for more coffee. We only had enough for one cup, and he insisted on giving it to me."

"Huh. Well, did he head down to the place at the corner? The guy there never shuts up, and Josuke's too nice to just leave. I told you about that time in Morioh where we were in a restaurant for six hours because everyone wanted to talk to him, right?"

"He is a charmer when he wants to be, just like your father..." Suzi paused, glancing over the top of the paper. "Don't even think about it, Shizuka."

"What? I'm not doing anything!"

"Jojo doesn't want you getting in any more trouble, so you're not leaving home without one of the agents, and they're fixing the window they broke yesterday. This is to keep you safe, bambina, it's not a punishment."

Shizuka huffed, blowing hair out of her face and crossing her arms. "Mom, this is less than a block from the tower, it's literally closer to the lobby than we are right now. I'll head down after breakfast if he's not back, alright? You'll practically be able to see me out the window."

Suzi looked set to argue, until Shizuka's head vanished from sight, leaving only a floating jacket visible over the countertop. "Haah... you're going to go whether I agree or not, aren't you?"

"Well, no, but if I stay and Josuke's trapped in a seven-eleven 'til he's thirty-five, we're all going to end up miserable. I'll stay hidden, and I'll be back before you know it."

"Oh, I've heard that too often to feel reassured..."

OoOoO

" _Sono chi no hmhmhm..._ " Shizuka hummed under her breath, a song she'd heard somewhere but couldn't place. She ducked under someone's arm as her phone beeped loudly, the man nearly taking her head off when he reached for his own device. "Watch it, jerk!" she snapped, invisibly pressing herself against the wall and examining the screen as Achtung Baby flicked it back to normal for a moment.

"Josuke?" she cocked her head to the side, seeing a... _horrifically_ mangled message pop up. "Hang on, what's 'O mews hrlo' supposed to mean?"

 _Vrrt!_ It buzzed in her hand, another text appearing instantly. "'xalk dssd, yjeees s stsms isrr'? Okay, either Josuke's having a stroke, or... hang on a sec..." she mumbled to herself, opening her keyboard and typing out Josuke's messages without looking.

"'I nees hrlp'- 'I need help'!" she exclaimed aloud, drawing some odd looks when her voice rang out from nowhere. Hurriedly, she fired off a text to everyone in Pendleton tower, rushing down to the corner and trying to catch sight of Josuke.

" _Shijima no, soko kara-"_ her phone actually rang this time, as her brother's picture filled the screen.

"Josuke? Are you okay? Where's the enemy?"

"Shut up!" snapped a high-pitched voice. "Stop distracting him, I want to play some more! He's got a cool power too, so that means we're friends now!" And it cut out, leaving her staring blankly at a blank screen.

"Aaaand Josuke's got a stalker. At least it isn't me this time..."

OoOoO

 **So, two days between 'incidents'. As far as Joestars go, that seems about average.**

 **A couple of people have asked about the Speedwagon agents. They're based on characters from the JoJo's RPG I ran, with the exception that they're all still on the same continent.**

 **...Things got out of hand, I'll admit. Same goes for their 'customer'.**

 **Anyway, Q &A time!**

 **G;** They're not great at subtlety, are they? Duran Duran... I should have saved him for a Halloween special, shouldn't I?

 **reddevil47;** Glad you enjoyed it - a more tactical, Joseph-style battle than a straight up brawl.

 **Joker wx;** That guy you mentioned has very good odds to appear later, and with the same level of power he had at the end of Part 5. I'm being very careful about spoilers, because I know for a fact some people have read this not knowing about parts 5 and 6 and then gotten annoyed at me for the spoilers _in the description_. Sorry, kind of ranted there, but I'm glad you're enjoying this!  
When Jolyne turns up, they'll have to discuss their family tree, if only because it'll be hilarious.

 **DAIrinchan;** Thanks! I like to think I've gotten good at fight scenes over time - I kind of had to, considering the fandoms I write in! And "Start the Fire", I think, would be one of Joel's finishers in a video game like Eyes of Heaven.

 **Catch you next time! Hopefully it won't take as long, huh?**


	11. Vs Feel Good Inc (I)

**Let's take a step back here, to find out what happened to Josuke.**

 **A note to all the people who asked me about the RPG I ran, it used the dice system from FATE Core, along with a set of... loose guidelines, more than rules. If anyone's interested, I can send a PM with what little directions we came up with.**

 **Anyway, on we go!**

 **OoOoO**

 **Summer 2012, Morioh**

 _"I'll admit, Mr Joestar," Rohan commented, sketching out the image of the old man in front of him and mentally comparing it to the other members of the family. "I'm wondering why you asked to meet with me. Even more so, that you didn't want anyone else here. I know how little Josuke trusts me."_

 _"More than you'd think, actually. It's just that he also thinks you're an asshole," Joseph smirked, leaning forwards on his cane. "And he can't know that I was ever here."_

 _"A conspiracy? Congratulations, Mr Joestar, you now have my full attention." Rohan sat down opposite the old man, whose shaking limbs seemed to cover up whatever remained of the powerful warrior he'd once been. Despite his height and the broadness of his shoulders, there was no way anyone would ever see Joseph Joestar as a real threat again._

 _"You'll need a little context, first. Have you ever heard of Pillar Men?" Seeing the blank expression, Joseph pressed on, waving his hand expressively. "The Red Stone of Aja? Ugh... Stone Masks? ...Vampires? You have to have heard about vampires, Josuke and Koichi fought one once!"_

 _"Well, yes. That was a Stand's power, wasn't it?" Rohan's brows shot up when Joseph didn't reply. "It wasn't?"_

 _"It's a long story-" Joseph began, freezing when Heaven's Door appeared in front of him, his upper arm unfurling into sheets of paper that Rohan examined with gleeful interest._

 _"Then this is the better solution," he murmured, flicking from one page to the next at incredible speed. "My word... the stories I could tell using your memories..." He blinked, seemingly coming back to the present with a look at Joseph's expression. "My apologies. You were saying?"_

 _The older_ _man shook his head, closing the 'book' with his free hand. "After all that happened in Florida this past year, I've come to a few realisations. The things I know... aren't safe. I've got names, addresses,_ things _, that if the wrong people knew them... I don't want my family to be in danger any more than they already are."_

 _"What are you asking me, exactly?"_

 _Joseph locked eyes with the mangaka, all traces of humour gone from his face. "I need to know if Heaven's Door can remove my memories."_

 _Rohan started in surprise, not having expected_ that. _"What?"_

 _"Remove them, edit them, replace them with scenes from a movie for all I care. My whole family nearly died because someone read Jotaro's memories. There's no_ _telling whether or not someone could try the same with me," Joseph's shaking had stopped, replaced with an unnatural stillness. "I will not take that risk. So, do you think you can do it?"_

 _Kishibe Rohan was not a man prone to correcting himself, but he had to admit he'd misjudged Joseph. He did lack the physical strength he'd had in his prime, but there was an_ _adage about aging; that a warrior who grows old has survived so much, that there's nothing left to frighten him._

 _He leaned in, intersecting his fingers with one another as his Stand appeared beside him. "I think, Mr Joestar, that we can find out."_

OoOoO

 **An hour before Shizuka woke up...**

"Oh! Good morning, Josuke!" Suzi chirped, shuffling into the kitchen. "Have the two boys fixed the window yet?"

"Not yet," yawned the young man, typing away at his laptop. "Once they've at least made an effort, Crazy D and I'll head down and put it right."

"Oh, don't worry yourself about it, Josuke. It seems you had a long night," she waved away his offer, switching on the kettle and grabbing two mugs. "Coffee?"

He offered a grateful smile. "That'd be great, Suzi, thanks. And, yeah, it's... I had to make a lot of calls to try and sort this Jolyne situation, since Dad's back's started acting up again. Not to mention all the messages I've been sending Jotaro. He's really paranoid about the whole thing, wouldn't even consider agreeing to leave his safehouse until I mentioned the new judge we've got. Name's... Robison Brown?"

"Oh, Smokey's boy!" she realised, picking up the tin for the coffee grounds and using it to gesture towards the hall. "He's actually Joseph's godson, you know? He's a good man, he won't try and pin the Florida mess on Jolyne or her friends. I- Oh dear..."

"Hm? You okay there?"

"Oh, yes, I just... With so many people coming and going lately, I forgot how much we'd be using..." she shrugged sheepishly, scraping the last few grains free from the bottom of the container. "Here, Josuke, there's still enough for one-"

"Nah, Suzi, you take it," the Stand user yawned again. "I'll head down to the corner and grab one."

"Josu-"

"Seriously, I could use the fresh air. Won't take long, and it's the least I can do for you guys," Josuke grinned tiredly, stretching out his shoulders as he stood up. "I'll be back soon. Keep an eye on Shizuka, will you?"

OoOoO

"A cappucino as well, please," he yawned, as he approached the counter with a few snacks and some fresh grounds. "I'll give you my card, alright?"

"Twelve dollars and fifty cent, son," mumbled the cashier, looking almost as exhausted as Josuke felt. "Do you need a bag- Oh, God, not again!" she shrieked, as a group of teenagers clustered outside the window.

"Trouble?" Josuke ventured, his purchases left on the counter as he listened to the jeering of the punks outside. "Do you need any help, ma'am?"

"No, we can handle this- JAMIE! THOSE PUNKS ARE BACK AGAIN!" she yelled, a man in his late teens appearing from the bathroom with a mop held out in front of him like a spear.

"What- What d'you need me to do, Ma?" he stuttered, almost strangling the improvised polearm with one hand, using the other to pull at his baggy shirt's sleeves.

"Get rid of 'em!" his mother snapped, looking at the quartet of loiterers all talking over one another. "And don't take no for an answer!"

Jamie nodded dumbly, lumbering past Josuke and stepping outside. "H-HEY! G-get out! Y-Y-You-" he began, until something small and solid smacked against his forehead and sent him to his knees, clutching his head in pain.

A second projectile slammed against the window with a crack, a dark liquid spraying all over the outside of the glass. The woman slammed her hands on the table with a growl.

"They broke the windows? That's it, I'm calling the cops-" she began, pausing when Josuke pressed a hand against the glass.

"It's not broken, though," he commented coolly. "Hang on to my stuff for a second, please. I'll sort this out."

She hesitated, looking back at the glass. She could have sworn there was a web-shaped crack pattern only a second before, but... no. Just a soda splatter, slowly dripping down to the sidewalk. It must have been a trick of the light.

"Alright, break it up," Josuke drawled, stepping over Jason to stand between him and his attackers. "Get going before things go any further."

"And what if we don't?" sneered the nearest 'tough guy'. Josuke decided to call him 'Bandana', based on the cloth wrapped around his arm. "What're you gonna do, old man?"

"'Old'? I'm thirty, not... eighty. Look, I get that you think you're hot shit and all, but I've seen a lot better, and from a lot less cliche, so..." he trailed off, putting his hands in his pockets, looking totally bored and unconcerned by the fact he was outnumbered. Along with Bandana, he'd decided to call them Hoodie, Shades, and... Hoodie Number Two, why not?

"You've got some balls on you," Shades grumbled, a vein pulsing in his forehead. "But I know how to shut you up!" he roared, pitching another soda can at an impressive speed.

"DORA!" Crazy Diamond's arm appeared, the can bouncing off its armour and landing in Josuke's waiting hand, its momentum spent.

"You done?" Josuke deadpanned, smirking at their shocked expressions.

"Like hell!" Hoodie screeched, his voice like nails on a chalkboard as he pulled out an impressively dull knife from his pocket, striding up to point it in Josuke's face. "I'm gonna cut you up for disrespecting us! Starting with that shitty hairstyle you've got!"

Josuke blinked, digesting that. "I guess you're not done," he commented softly, his expression not changing from mild boredom. He debated with himself for a moment, before nodding as he came to a conclusion. "Might as well go for the personal touch this time."

"Wh-?" Hoodie didn't even get a chance to finish his question before Josuke's fist slammed into his face, his weapon falling uselessly to the ground. He didn't even get a chance to _fall_ , as the half-Japanese man's other hand yanked him up by his collar, the soda can clattering next to the knife.

"Now, I like to think of myself as a pretty mellow guy," Josuke bit out, his voice cold. " But shit like this, like wasting your time with petty bullshit and treating everyone around you like trash? Congrats, you've got me well and truly PISSED THE FUCK OFF!" As he raised his voice, he lifted Hoodie bodily into the air, Crazy Diamond lending its strength to him.

"DORAAA!" Stand and user snarled, throwing Hoodie at Shades and leaving both of them groaning on the ground. Number Two, a surprisingly apt nickname, all things considered, lunged for him with brass knuckles on one hand.

"Really?" Josuke growled, sidestepping the idiot and pulling his hand to execute a near perfect arm lock. Something cracked in Two's wrist and the teen dropped with a squeak of pain.

Bandana, apparently the brains of this particular outfit, had elected to turn tail and leg it. Crazy Diamond held up the bulging can Josuke had dropped, waiting for Josuke's instructions.

He grinned, a predatory smile. "Go for it."

"DORA!" the Stand barked out, making a textbook baseball pitch, the projectile spinning through the air to land perfectly, knocking its target to the ground in a heap of limbs.

Josuke whistled appreciatively, seeing Bandana collapse. "Nice! Now, as for you guys, here's what's going to happen," he kept his slightly stilted smile as he spoke. "You're going to run very far away from me, and you're not going to bother nice people like these guys again. Otherwise, I won't be nice enough to let you off with a warning."

"You broke my arm!" Two sobbed from his position on the ground.

"Like I said," Josuke leaned down. "A warning. You don't want me to be serious, do you?"

"NO!/ No!/ No, sir!" they chorused, scrambling to their feet.

"Then get going! And don't you ever say shit about my hair again!" he snarled, turning around as they followed his instructions. "Hey, Jamie, right?"

The younger man's eyes were wide, a mix of awe and fear. "Y-Yes, s-sir?"

"Come on, up we get," Josuke grunted, pulling the boy up off the ground and helping him stand. "Oof, that's a nasty bump. Miss, do you have somewhere to sit down? I don't think he should move too much for a few minutes."

OoOoO

"Watch where you're going, shitheads!" Michael snapped, as a pair of teenagers collided with him. "Where's the fire?" he asked, as another two hobbled up, much worse off.

"Crazy fucker broke my arm!" burbled one of them, cradling the wounded limb close to him. "Psycho! That fucking shitty hairstyle..." he ground out, despite teary eyes. Something about that statement nagged at Michael's memory...

"Hang on a second, who're you talking about?" he demanded, blocking the teen from running past him. "Was it a Japanese guy, 'bout this tall?" he hissed, holding out a hand to indicate height. "Hair gelled up in a weird pomp?"

"You a friend of his?" demanded the kid in the sunglasses, grabbing Michael's collar. "Maybe you can take the message instead!"

A shadow burst out of Michael's arm to catch the incoming punch. "It was probably him... Where was he, the tower?" When Shades didn't respond, he exerted his will and the shadow clenched around the kid's hand. "You can tell me, or I can make sure you match your friend here."

"FUCK!" Shades yelped, gesturing frantically with his free arm. "Look, he was at the store, the-the place on the corner, that's all I know, I-"

Michael's Stand slammed the pair of thugs to the ground, out of his way as he strode forwards. "Black or White!" he snapped, his shadow extending out from his feet and pooling on the ground. _'I can find out what Higashikata knows... Boss better not have overplayed his hand with B.G...'_ he thought, falling forwards into the darkness and vanishing.

OoOoO

"So good of you to help us out, Mr Higashikata. Here're your things - no charge, I insist." The cashier shoved a plastic bag into the man's hands, pushing his card back across the counter along with it.

"I mean, there's no need, I just did what anyone should've-"

"Hah! I can tell you're a rare breed, but not everybody's as willing- or capable, for that matter. Now, my son's got potential, but he's wasting all his time with kid's games, spending his whole life in a daydream. He'll never learn to stick up for himself if he keeps going like he has been..." she mumbled, glancing

Josuke frowned at that, feeling a little awkward on the spot. "Hey, he seems like a good kid. Don't be too hard on him, he did give it a good try-"

"Ah, I guess that's true, I just worry, you know. Anyway, you need to be off..." she waved him away, bustling away to put away the mop.

Something wasn't sitting right, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what, Josuke reflected as he left. At least the punks wouldn't be a problem again, if they knew what was good for them- he stopped midway through taking a sip of his drink.

"Tea?" he mumbled to himself. And a weak one at that. Was it worth it, going back to exchange it already? He'd be able to make coffee himself back at the Tower...

There was a loud bang from behind him, like sheets of metal crashing down on to the sidewalk. That settled things.

OoOoO

"No good... scared of his own shadow... weak..." Jamie winced at each memory of casual comments from his mother. He knew (thought) she loved him, but hearing her lament his utter lack of talent in any field was harsh. And his childish imagination was just another embarrassment-

 _[It's not embarrassing, it's fun!]_ He stilled, as a child's voice rang out through his head.

 _'Who's there?'_ he thought desperately, eyes glancing around. _'Why can't I see you?'_

 _[Oh, sorry!]_ it piped up again. There was a sudden sense of dissociation, of being in two places at once- A- A _thing_ appeared, uncurling in the air next to him.

At first glance, it seemed like someone had stitched plush toys together into a human shape, with its 'skin' having the appearance of a patchwork quilt. Its face looked like an ape's, with a smiling mouth stitched onto it, and pearly, brown spheres for eyes. Rather than standing on two legs, it hovered about two feet off the ground, its lower body like a fattened snake's tail, covered in bobbles that gave it a 'rougher' texture. And it was small, the top half of its body barely even the size of his head.

 _[I'm part of you! I'm here to protect you, and keep you happy! We need to show Mom that games aren't just a silly waste of time, that's all!]_ The whatever-the-hell-it-was burbled happily,

Now thoroughly weirded out, Jamie just nodded. "H-How? She never listens to me."

 _[I've got a special power! We can use it on Mom, to show her how important games are!]_ the thing bobbed its head rapidly. _[It'll be like being a kid again!]_

Jamie felt himself smiling at the absolute glee in the thing's voice. "That sounds... fun. What... what's your name?"

 _[Feel Good Inc!]_ It bounced off of nothing, a pulse of reddish-purple energy erupting from it and washing over him, relaxing him and diminishing the pain in his head to almost nothing. _[Let's have fun! Ooh, what about hide and seek?]_

Jamie closed his eyes, feeling his connection to Feel Good Inc opening wider, filling him with satisfaction and childish joy, making him feel better than he had in a long time.

OoOoO

Josuke stopped short at the bubble encasing the corner shop, slowly expanding and contracting almost like it was breathing. "Ah, great..." he muttered to himself, seeing how no-one on the street was commenting or even noticing it. "Yo! Anyone there?" he called, drawing a couple of confused looks. Something moved in his peripheral vision, a dart of blackness, and he called out Crazy Diamond. "I see you!"

"DORAA!" the armoured giant snarled, glaring at the shadow on the pavement as it moved, longer than it should have been. There was a tense moment, before a pale-skinned man with medium-length hair seemed to float up out of the black.

"Good eye, Higashikata. What gave me away?"

"You might be the right angle, but the shadows aren't that dark on a morning like this," Josuke pointed upwards, the sun mostly hidden by clouds. "Why were you following me?"

"You were at the airport. You've got weird powers. I was curious," smirked the newcomer, a dark blue, almost black figure wrapped in bandages of the same colour appearing over his shoulder. "That explain it?"

"Yeah, no, I'm not buying that. Is this one of yours?" Josuke gritted out, casually pointing at the bubble of energy behind him.

"...No, actually," the man admitted, watching it pulsing more frantically. "But I'd be lying if I said I'm not interested-"

 _[Hooray! Some new players already!]_ chirped a high-pitched, musical voice. _[Come on in! I'm Feel Good Inc!]_ The new speaker was obviously a Stand, like a demented teddy bear, hovering overhead.

"That's... that's you?" Josuke ventured, watching the bubble rippling and expanding. "What are you doing?"

 _[It's a game!]_ the thing cheered, its 'mouth' twitching excitedly. _[And you're going to play, too!]_

"No, no, I'm not," smirked the paler of the two. "See you 'round-" he stopped short as a thread snaked its way out to his ankle, yanking him towards the bubble. There was a second of him yelping in surprise, his Stand reaching for him-

 _Pop!_

"What the hell did you do?" Josuke burst out, staring at the place where the stranger had been only seconds ago. "What happened to the people in the store?"

 _[They're inside, too.]_ it-the Stand laughed, its paw covering its mouth. _[All waiting for you. I can tell you'll be fun to play with!]_

"You-!" he clenched his teeth. "...Why would I go along with this?" he eventually asked, trying to type out a message to someone on his phone, without taking it out of his pocket. _'Last person I texted was Shizuka, so I can tell her to get Dad...'_

 _[Because you have_ _to!]_ It seemed almost saddened at his lack of enthusiasm. _[Why wouldn't you want to, anyway? I thought you'd be fun... You helped Jamie and Mom earlier...]_

"What did you do to them?" He tensed. If actually innocent people were trapped in this... whatever, that changed things a lot. At the very least, he couldn't just walk away. "If I go in there, will you make sure not to hurt Jamie or his mother?"

 _[Oh, sure, that's easy! Come on_ _inside!]_ It paused when he approached, thread unravelling from its mouth and whipping around its suddenly mobile 'teeth'. _[Wait, no, no, NO! NO CHEATING!"_ it shrieked suddenly, threads yanking his phone out of his pocket and mashing the buttons.

"Josuke? Are you okay? Where's the enemy?" Shizuka's voice crackled out, the teddy scowling.

 _"Shut up! Stop distracting him, I want to play some more! He's got a cool power too, so that means we're friends now!"_ it snarled, tossing away the device before Josuke could do more than take a step forwards.

"Crazy Diamond!"

"DORARARARAA!" The armoured Stand roared, landing a flurry of punches on the plush creature, driving it into the bubble.

 _Pop!_

"Oh, man..." Josuke relaxed when it showed no sign of reappearing. "Better call Shizuka back..." he mumbled half to himself, stepping over to examine his phone.

He realised his mistake when one of the paving slabs wobbled slightly, displaced by a woolly string when he stepped on it. He tried to re-plant his feet mid-step-

 _Pop!_

He blinked, his eyes trying and failing to adjust to the kaleidoscope of random colours and objects surrounding him. The stranger was hovering nearby, his Stand forming a shadowy armour around him.

 _"Let's go! I vote... Hide and Seek!"_ Feel Good Inc grinned, the world abruptly reshaping itself into a massive manor building, Josuke barely getting a glimpse of it before he fell sideways and landed in the middle of a hallway, with no sign of the stranger.

 _"I'll give you to the count of a hundred, and then I'll come find you!"_ the Stand's voice chirped from somewhere overhead. _"One, two..."_

 _Pop!_

That last burst of displaced air had been a lot closer than Feel Good Inc... Josuke skidded to a halt when something brushed against him. Something cool and flat was pressed into his hand, a familiar weight-

The phone shimmered back to visibility, a crack in the screen, showing a message across the top of the screen.

 _"Don't worry bro, I've got this."_

OoOoO

 **So, New arc, new problems. What can Josuke and Shizuka do against such relentless childlike joy?**

 **New Stand Stats!**

 **Feel Good Inc - James Hewlett**

Power; D - Durability; A - Speed; C - Precision; C - Range; C - Potential; A

Feel Good Inc is a Stand that creates a pocket dimension with additional 'rules' that everyone present is instructed to follow, mimicking games and stories at the Stand's discretion.

 **Questions;**

 **Joker wx;** As said at the top of the chapter, it was house-ruled from the FATE Core dice system. And Cielo's plan has been going well so far, but Joseph's not too shabby at chess-mastery either. Once he gets any information on Cielo's organisation, he'll be able to counter-plan accordingly.

 **G;** Yeah, Horse With No Name will probably come back soon. I wanted a more nuanced approach to Jotaro's marriage breaking down, rather than just him refusing to explain anything to his family. After how bad it went with his wife, he decided against telling Jolyne anything.

 **So, next time we'll have Josuke and Shizuka trying to face Feel Good Inc on its home turf. Would you like to play a game, Joestars?**


	12. Vs Feel Good Inc (II)

**On to the... fight? Really, it's just a high-stakes playground mess...**

 **Also, I don't know if these guys will respect the rules of Hide and Seek.**

 **This would have been out about a week and a half ago, but our internet elected to not work for ten days. And, of course, our service providers were absolutely insistent it could not be an issue on their end, that it had to be user error, up until a family friend offered to examine the line leading into our house. He found that when our neighbours had changed to fibre optic over broadband (ten days ago), the workers had managed to damage our phone line, and we finally got someone to fix it.**

 **TL;DR, our internet borked the heck up because official technicians messed with the wrong wires.**

 **So, as apology, the chapter's longer than usual!**

 **OoOoO**

 **April, 2012**

 _"Oh, my God, Giorno, you're alright!" Trish greeted the blonde as he stepped off the private plane, Mista strolling along behind him. She pulled the mafioso into a hug, examining his face closely. "You are alright, aren't you?"_

 _"I'm fine, too," Mista piped up, dropping the suitcases with a grunt. "Made some friends in Florida, you know how it goes."_

 _"Guido..." she rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm glad to see you, too-" she cut herself off when Giorno stumbled, his foot slipping on empty air. "What's wrong?"_

 _"I'm just tired, Trish. Nothing to worry about..." he smiled weakly, exhausted. "Since you're here, I'm guessing you called Fugo?"_

 _"He and... Sheila, I think, are running things at your headquarters with Jean Pierre's advice. But don't try and change the subject, Giorno! What's wrong?"_

 _"Not here. We can talk in the car..." Giorno managed to make his way to the waiting vehicle, slumping into the back seat with Trish as Mista sat in behind the wheel. He let out a sigh, his complexion paler than she remembered. "What do you want to know?"_

 _"Everything!" she hissed, exasperated. "You disappear for nearly two weeks, you don't tell anybody besides Mista where you're going, and the next thing I hear about is that you've been recovering that whole time. Giorno... Giorno, you look like crap. What happened?"_

 _Giorno didn't answer for a while. "I brought this along with me," he sighed, taking a small, ornate box from the inside of his jacket. Trish felt Spice Girl recoil away from it, a malicious aura leaking from the wood. "The arrow."_

 _"Giorno, I thought you were never going to use that again," she breathed, feeling suddenly trapped by the ominous presence she could swear had appeared. "Didn't you pass out the last time you used it?"_

 _"Requiem has a cost," Giorno's face was solemn. "When we fought Diavolo, Requiem allowed me to get away with using it. Maybe because of my ignorance, or the desperation of the situation, but... It saved us without demanding anything in return. Once."_

 _"Wait, what kind of a cost are you talking about?" Trish pressed, ignoring Mista's warning glare in the mirror. "Giorno, please, tell me."_

 _"A shift in power, that's all. Master and servant, growing closer together, making them less distinct..." Giorno yawned widely. "It was... difficult, to regain full control of the situation. But I'll recover soon, don't worry."_

 _"I've got an idea, Boss," Mista commented. "I'll be the first to admit that Requiem's come in handy, but... Why not just leave the Arrow behind? Give it to someone like Fugo, tell him to keep it hidden. We have enough places to keep something secret..."_

 _Giorno's hand clenched briefly on the box, the wood creaking slightly under the pressure. A gold-coloured figure with ladybird-like decorations on its arms and torso appeared next to him, some kind of understanding passing between Giorno and Gold Experience. He nodded after a moment, passing the box forwards and leaving it on the seat next to Mista._

 _"Agreed. Have Fugo hide it somewhere secure, until we need it again. I don't need to know where it is, only that you can get it back." he sighed, leaning back in his seat and shutting his eyes._

 _"No problem, Boss. You can count on me." Mista's eyes flicked to the rear-view mirror, catching Trish's attention and nodding slightly to her._

 _"I know I can..." Giorno managed a weak smile as he drifted off to sleep._

 **OoOoO**

The timer appeared in the corner of his peripheral vision, counting steadily up to one hundred. Michael slipped into the shadows, melding with them easily.

5...6...

A Stand capable of warping reality on such a massive scale? It had to be recruited. The alternative would ruin everything Cielo had spent years working on.

A new world order, led by people who _deserved_ to lead. It was a crazy plan, one that Michael wouldn't have believed if it hadn't come from Cielo. The man had not only found him as a newly-realised Stand user, but he'd given him direction, gotten him off the streets, and all he wanted in return was for the angry young man to run a few errands.

13...14...

A few errands had turned into a few more, had turned into questions on what he was meant to actually accomplish. Cielo volunteered the information easily, showing how each delivery was part of the bigger picture, part of a plan decades in the making. Even the failures created opportunities, or helped to weed out anyone who wasn't loyal to them at the very least.

21...22...

Once he'd seen that, how could he not go all-in? A chance to do something important, and actually get paid for it?

He'd've been an idiot not to.

29...30...

But the plan was reaching the point of no return, and everything depended on handling the Joestars _exactly_ as Cielo had planned. They had contingencies in place, but Josuke Higashikata and Jotaro Kujo were too dangerous to leave anything to chance. Not to mention Joseph Joestar himself, who, despite his public persona, was just as much a tactician as in his youth, with the benefits of nearly a full century of experience.

The others weren't on the same level, but still had to be treated cautiously. Shizuka Joestar had had a Stand practically since birth, and likely some training considering her family, and Jolyne Kujo had apparently been key in thwarting the 'incident' in Florida. Even if invisibility and strings didn't seem overtly powerful, they couldn't underestimate them again, or they'd end up like the Donoghue brat.

44...45...

He'd be ready for whatever happened in this twisted game, though.

He had to be.

49...49...

Wait, what?

 **OoOoO**

 _"Wait a second..."_ Feel Good Inc's voice buzzed in Josuke's head, . _"This isn't right... **I thought there were only two of you. Where's the third person? I know they're here, where are they?"**_ Its voice changed from a squeaking to a high-pitched snarl as it spoke.

 _'Damn!'_ he swore internally, his mind whirling. If that thing had found Shizuka already...

It clicked. "Hey, no cheating!" he yelled, trying to make himself sound younger. "If they want to play, too, then let them! But you have to finish counting before you can come look for us. If you're using your power to track us everywhere, then there's no way we can win! It's not fair!"

The timer stayed frozen for a few heart-stopping seconds, as Josuke internally prayed that his gambit worked.

 ** _"Fine... But I'm still gonna win!"_**

Josuke let out the breath he'd been holding. One issue handled, at least. Now all he had to do was find a hiding place. He tapped the wall next to him, pausing when he heard the noise echo in the hollow space inside.

"Huh. That's interesting. And probably unexpected. What d'you think?"

"DORAA!" Crazy Diamond grinned madly, readying a punch-

"No, wait..." Josuke mimicked his Stand's expression, taking in the sight of the wardrobe on one side of the room. "I think I have a better idea."

 **OoOoO**

49...49...50...

The timer resumed after Feel Good Inc's little speech about a new player breaking into the game. Michael slid along the floor, jumping from one shadow to the next with ease. He needed to figure out where in this fake mansion the Stand user was hiding. Feel Good Inc _seemed_ to be acting autonomously, but it was definitely tethered to the building that had been bubbled, if its movements were anything to go by. It had seemed to struggle when it had approached them outside, reaching the edge of its effective range.

59...60...

Some part of him could tell that there was more to this ability. Hide and Seek was only the beginning; a power capable of creating an alternate space was absurdly useful in its own right, but Feel Good Inc could seemingly impose entirely new 'rules' on the area. And capable of monitoring the inhabitants, and of instant communications...

71...72...

This was the ideal Stand for their plans. And if Higashikata or 'player three' tried to stop him from recruiting them?

Well, Cielo had taught him the value of making more than one plan. He briefly stepped out of the shadows, checking the inside of his jacket and nodding when he felt a cool metal handle, barely poking out of a hidden pocket.

 **OoOoO**

"Ah, crap," Shizuka grumbled to herself, having reached the top of a staircase that simply ended in a blank wall. "What the hell is wrong with this place?" she wondered, seeing the number in the corner of her vision tick up to 80... make that 81.

She'd checked half a dozen floors that all looked identical on her way up, trying to find some kind of landmark, but there was nothing! Every floor looked like it came out of a Victorian manor, except for the lack of windows or external doors. All carpets and curtains and master bedrooms with nothing that looked even remotely unique.

She groaned in frustration, smacking her head against the blank wall in front of her without any real force. _Tunk!_ She'd have to go all the way down now, and there were at least fifteen floors in this stupid pocket dimension- Hang on.

She hesitantly rapped an invisible knuckle against the wall. This was...

 _Tunk!_

Hollow? She turned to her right, lightly punching the wall there as well.

 _Tunk!_

...That changed things slightly. "Achtung Baby? Rooftop exit, please."

"YUYUYUYUYUYUYUTUUU!" The helmeted Stand unleashed a flurry of blows at the walls surrounding them, shattering the not-actually-brick like loose plaster. The wall on her right led into a half-furnished, incomplete 'manor' floor, with furniture haphazardly scattered around and missing floorboards. The wall in front, though, had been hiding something more interesting.

An alien skyscape, distant lights against a slowly swirling red-purple background, the colour shifting from darker to brighter to redder... she bounced off a rubbery barrier as she attempted to step outside. Reaching out a hand, she felt the barrier stretching and distorting under the pressure, pushing back at her arm with steadily increasing force.

"YUTU!" Achtung cried, driving her knee into the barrier and sending violent ripples through it. The entire world seemed to vibrate for a second, until something smacked into the Stand with incredible levels of force and sent both of them rocketing backwards through the air. Shizuka rolled painfully to a halt at the turning point of the staircase, while Achtung took the more efficient path of simply smashing her shoulders through the floor.

"Ugh, what the hell was that?" Shizuka groaned under her breath, feeling bruises welling up across her torso. "Felt like I got hit by a truck..."

 _"No one leaves,"_ hissed a familiar voice. Feel Good Inc sounded like it was torn between killing someone or breaking down in a tantrum. _"Not until we're finished."_

Threads appeared in her field of view, coalescing into a weird, plush-looking Stand with sharp teeth bared in a scowl. Shizuka held her breath, mentally dismissing her Stand before the newcomer could do anything. Its eyes flicked over her position partway down the stairs without any indication of having noticed her, before its threads lashed out and grabbed at the rubble she'd knocked free of the wall, molding it like clay and patching the walls. Within seconds, there were no signs of the damage ever having been there.

 _"I guess that's enough time to find a hiding place. Ready or not, here I come!"_

 **OoOoO**

Michael exited his shadow in an abandoned corner as the timer jumped the last few numbers to settle on a blinking '100'. Obviously, this third player or Higashikata had done something to piss off their captor; had tried to escape, somehow.

Black or White settled into its humanoid form and jabbed its fingers into the wall, easily breaking through the thin 'stone' and wrenching open the gap, just wide enough for a shadow to slip inside. A pathway that Higashikata wouldn't be able to use, that would (hopefully) lead him to the heart of this world.

He melded with the darkness and slid downwards, easily flowing through the utter blackness and allowing himself to follow gravity downwards.

The game was stupid, but if it kept his opponents busy long enough, that would be more than good enough.

 **OoOoO**

 _"I know you're here..."_ Feel Good Inc growled as its threads extended outwards like a spider's thread, Shizuka barely slipping by them as she carefully picked her way down the stairs. _"Come out! I caught you fair and square, you have to show yourself!"_

'Not yet...' Shizuka thought to herself, keeping her breathing light and silent. 'I can still give you the slip-' She stopped short as a trio of threads attached themselves to the wall in front of her. Feel Good Inc slowly lowered itself down the stairs like a demented octopus climbing over rocks, its tail contracting and extending as it used its mass to spread its reach.

 _"I know you're nearby!"_ it chirped, sounding childish once more, now that the apparent threat to its 'game' was gone. _"You couldn't get far, especially not if you're being all sneaky!"_

Shizuka leaned over the edge of the railing, estimating the distance to the stairs on the other side. If the enemy got much lower, its searching web would definitely find her, but there was no guarantee that she could make it across with all the threads, anyway _._ There was _one_ thing she could try that might work.

She swallowed quietly, knowing she wouldn't get more than one chance to do this. Achtung Baby appeared mid-punch, smashing the stone underneath her with a crash before disappearing again. Less than a second later, the sounds of rubber soles slapping against a solid surface rang out from the floor below.

 _"You can't outrun me! Just because you're invisible doesn't mean I can't see_ that _!"_ Feel Good Inc shrieked, diving through the hole and practically making a full floor of its threads, pausing in surprise when it didn't catch any person in its web. A few threads raised up, folding themselves around the invisible objects they'd grasped. _"Are these... sneakers?"_ It asked in a squeak, sounding genuinely perplexed.

"YUTUU!" Achtung Baby bellowed, punching through the wall next to her and vanishing again before Feel Good Inc could intercept her. The plush Stand's jaw fell open, its 'teeth' flopping comically forwards like the thin strips of cloth they seemed to be.

 _"That... No! No, you can't trick me like that! That's not FAIR!"_ it screeched, catapulting itself through the hole and bricking the wall back up behind itself. Shizuka could hear it knocking over furniture and what she suspected had been a very nice vase.

"Jerk took my shoes with him..." she grumbled to herself, pulling herself up from the railing she'd been hanging over and sliding over to the intact part of the stairs. "I better make him pay for new ones once we're done here."

Hopefully, there'd be something better in the basement. Or however far down she made it before the guy realised he'd been duped.

 **OoOoO**

Feel Good Inc let out a howl of frustration, pulling back its threads. The cheater wasn't here, was he? Or... was it a girl? The spirit with her had kinda _looked_ like a girl. Like a girl Power Ranger or something.

But still! Girls didn't get any preferential treatment! She knew they were playing a game, so-

Wait... _Did_ she? He knew that the cool powers guys had heard him talking about Hide and Seek, but the third person had come in _after_ he said that. She probably thought it was some kind of game of Tag, instead!

That explained it... She wasn't really cheating if she didn't know the rules in the first place, he supposed, but if he tried to end the game early, it wouldn't be fair for the other guys.

It was so annoying, trying to figure this out! And he'd given them way too many hiding spots, this'd take hours!

He needed help. He could check in with Jamie, couldn't he? As long as he didn't ask him to help look, it would still be fair...

He let the world twist around him, leaping straight down to the basement and what was left of the shop. _"Hey! Hey, Jamie, wake up!"_

"Whazzat?" his friend started awake, looking exhausted. "Oh, hey, buddy, you okay? Have you tried any games yet?"

 _"Yeah, but I need your advice. There's one player who doesn't understand the rules, so she keeps running around and not playing properly. Plus, there's no way I can find them all without hours and hours of searching. What should I do?"_

Jamie blinked dumbly, his tired brain struggling to click together. A red-purple glow undulated in his pupils, oddly hypnotic. "I guess... Are there any places you can rule out? Any place that they're definitely _not_? 'Cause if you can just find a way to cut off all those places, that'll make things easier. And it'll stop the girl you mentioned from just running in circles. Eventually, you'll find one another again."

Feel Good Inc bobbed up and down in imitation of a nod. _"That makes sense... You're really smart, Jamie! I'll be back soon!"_ It abruptly clapped its hands together, cheering up again. _"Oh! Before I forget, you better check on Mom."_

"Mom?" Jamie shook his head, trying to clear it. "What happened to her?"

 _"I don't know. I asked her to play, and she just kinda... fell. I put her into bed, and she seemed okay."_

"Wha-?" Jamie tried to ask, the spectral being vanishing in a twist and a 'whoomph' of displaced air. "Mom? Mom!" He stumbled across the room, falling through the door like it was plywood.

"Jamie-!" the woman on the bed yelped, terror in her eyes. "Oh, thank God, I thought that... _thing_ had gotten you!"

"Mom, are you okay? What happened?" Jamie pushed himself up off the floor, hobbling over to her.

Her expression barely changed, her eyes wide in fear. "There was something there, it... it took the world apart. I couldn't see it, but... I _heard_ it! In my head! It's... Jamie, it's some- some kind of _demon_."

 **OoOoO**

 _"Taking out the top floors... Now!"_ Feel Good Inc chirped to itself. _"That'll let me find them-"_ it paused halfway through its sentence, extending its awareness outwards. As long as it didn't look for specific places and just checked for movement, that _had_ to be alright...

Two. Not one of them, but _two_ of the hiders were running around. He could feel the distant echoes, ripples through the strange energy the made up this pocket dimension. One was almost silent, moving swiftly and smoothly, while the other was obviously running at full speed...

 _"This isn't working,"_ it sighed to itself, before clearing its throat. _**"Alright, listen up, 'cause everybody's cheating already!** Including me... **We're going to play a new game! Hold on to your butts!"**_

Its abdomen shrank to nothing as it reshaped the world around it, forming corridors that loosely resembled the 'manor' hallways, but all three of them had furniture and piles of loose material scattered haphazardly throughout.

 _ **"You guys have to know this one...**_

 _ **"I'll give you a few seconds to get ready! This should be a quick one."**_

 **OoOoO**

 _ **"The Floor Is Lava! And it's a race!"**_

"WHAT THE SHIT?" Shizuka yelped, leaping onto the table as the carpet began glowing underneath it. "What's wrong with you?" she yelled down the corridor to the crossroads where Feel Good Inc was hovering.

 _"It's not real lava, silly,"_ the Stand giggled, catching sight of her for the first time as her conversation wavered. _"It'll just put you back to the start if you fall down. Better get moving, you two... the guy with the weird shadow-ghost is winning! And he's not even running!"_

"Ugh..." she scoffed, looking along the corridor, well over a hundred metres to the red spiderweb in the middle. "Guess I don't have much choice..."

She leaped forwards, bouncing along a sofa, kicking off a coffee table and cracking the flat surface into two halves, before skidding to a halt in a pile of wooden scraps, her legs almost sliding down to the carpet until Achtung Baby pulled her backwards. She took a second to right herself. Almost five metres. Great...

"Hope Josuke's having better luck than me..."

 **OoOoO**

"Oh, screw this..." Josuke grumbled to himself, as he landed back on a sofa for the second time. "Crazy Diamond!" he called out, rummaging in his pocket.

His Stand appeared behind him, reaching out to touch the small slip of wood that Josuke was holding. His aura snapped over to surround the shard, warping it with his restorative power before he tossed it out in front of him, allowing it to land next to the wall.

Pieces of wood ripped themselves out of the wall and ceiling, collecting around his impromptu projectile. More and more flew down the hall towards him, some curving around from the crossroads and filling in the gaps in the shape until...

"Doraa!" the Stand declared, almost smugly, as the wardrobe slammed down onto the floor in front of them.

"The back of this thing is still smooth and polished, right?" Josuke asked, half to his Stand and half to himself. "And from what I could tell, this carpet is pretty slick, too. When everything this guy's made is so light, this shouldn't be even close to too heavy..." He gingerly stepped into his improvised vehicle, relaxing when it held his weight. Crazy Diamond twisted and punched a clean hole through the wall, exposing the blankness outside.

The Stand braced one of its legs in the hole, the other leg and both hands clasping the wardrobe firmly. Josuke gritted his teeth, not giving himself any chance to talk himself out of his 'plan'. "Do it."

"DORAA!" Crazy Diamond roared, using the break in the wall to kick off and send the would-be boat skidding awkwardly along the glowing carpet, crashing through two chairs and a bookshelf before it came to a halt. Crazy Diamond repaired the damage it had accumulated, repeating the process using the other wall, and eating up the distance in a quick, if jerking, manner.

"I hope that Black or White guy's held up. I don't want him getting near Shizuka."

 **OoOoO**

Michael gingerly touched a hand to his cheek, frowning when his fingertips came away marked with blood. It was a shallow cut, already closing, but the fact remained that one of the other two had managed to injure him, without him even noticing a threat until the last second. The shards of wood had torn free from the walls behind him, and when he was perched on top of a stool, there were very few ways to dodge.

Black or White had managed to deflect most of them, but evidently, not enough. He crouched slightly, leaping across to a pair of chairs leaning up against the wall. His hand caught a slight outcropping, part of the decoration on the walls, and he used it to steady himself, evaluating the situation. He'd been trying to hide his abilities, not sure whether Feel Good Inc had caught the beginnings of his confrontation with Higashikata, but... he needed to win this if he was going to even attempt to recruit this new user.

"Black or White!" he snapped, his Stand's energy filling the shadow he cast against the wall. Slowly, he merged with the dark blue patch on the wall, grimacing internally when he realised just how bright it was within this projection. The darker it was, the easier it was to move as a shadow, but as it was, he'd be lucky to reach a jogging pace.

Still, it would have to do. He didn't want their mystery guest beating him to the target, even though he couldn't see Higashikata's repair ability helping him win a race.

Who _was_ the third play, anyway?

 **OoOoO**

"To hell with this," Shizuka groaned, seeing a gap nearly five foot wide to the next safe landing place. "Why am I even-" she paused, having leaned backwards to try and stretch out her back. "That's... an option. Achtung, gimme a boost!"

"Yuu..." the helmeted Stand cupped her hands, braced against the shelves next to the sofa. As soon as Shizuka managed to shift her weight into the crossed palms, Achtung threw her upwards. "TUUU!"

Shizuka floundered in mid-air for a second, barely managing to grab hold of her target. The chandelier groaned under her weight, and Achtung floated up to join her as she rocked back and forth. The light fixture's creaking reached a peak just as she let go, plaster spilling to the floor underneath her. Achtung's hands grabbed her collar before she fell, using her spiritual strength to wrench Shizuka up to the next chandelier along the hall.

"Oof!" she grunted, taking a second to fix her grasp and take in the rest of the hallway. "More than halfway there. I... Achtung, I think I can do this in one big run. Be ready to catch me-EEP!" She let out a yelp as the chandelier slipped free from the ceiling, only for a hand to grab her wrist and fling her vaguely towards the wall. Her shoulder burned painfully as she slammed into and _through_ the thin wooden panelling. While the purple 'bubble' cushioned the impact a little, her entire arm ached from the blow.

It did mean she was perched on a ledge instead of falling to the floor, though, so she at least had that going for her. "Thanks, Achtung..." She trailed off, flexing her fingers and assuring herself there were none broken. "Give me a hand here, would you? I've got a plan."

Her Stand vanished, the dull metallic gauntlets and white sleeves forming around Shizuka's own. She flexed her hands again, cracking her knuckles, and began wrenching planks free from the wall.

She just needed a few more stepping stones, that was all. She'd still win the race easily.

 **OoOoO**

Feel Good Inc. grinned widely, head slowly turning from one corridor to the next. All three of the players were doing really well! Mr Josuke was making quick bursts, the shadow guy (whose name really shouldn't have taken this long to learn) was steadily making his way through along the roof, which was _really cool_ , and the girl...

Holy-! She was running in mid-air, her hands and arms sovered in some weird armour! That was _awesome_!

It was just a matter of time before-

 _Wh-Whoomph!_

Mr Josuke skidded through the invisible barrier that marked his finish line, barely half a second before the girl, her armour disappearing as she stepped across the threshold.

There was a second of silence, broken when the shadow guy silently dropped down in front of Feel Good Inc, startling the other two. "So, game's over. What now?"

"Hang on, jerk, what do you think you're doing?" Josuke snarled, jabbing a finger towards the stranger's chest, Crazy Diamond ready to attack. "I know you're involved in these Stand attacks and that whole mess at the airport. Start talking."

The man casually slid backwards, staying out of reach as best he could. "Hey, you're not the one in charge here, Higashikata. _He_ is."

 _"That's right!"_ Feel Good Inc preened at the praise.

The man smirked. "I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? Call me Jackson," he allowed his Stand to appear as he spoke, Josuke instinctively shifting to a defensive stance at the implicit threat. "And this is my Stand, my 'power', as you called it; Black or White."

 _"That's so cool!"_

"Hey!" Shizuka barked, drawing the attention back to her. "We played your game, so let us out. That's how this goes, all right?" She clenched her fists to stop them from shaking, the reality setting in. If this Stand didn't let them go, there wouldn't be any option besides finding the user. And considering how easily this thing could reshape the world around itself...

 _"But..."_ Feel Good Inc sagged. _"But I just wanted to have some fun... I-"_

"You can't hold people hostage to get your own way," Josuke explained as calmly as he could. "If you promise to let us go, and the people who were already in the store, then we can work out a deal. Alright?"

Feel Good Inc paused, frozen in indecision. _"I... but I..."_

"I have an idea," 'Jackson' offered, seemingly out of nowhere. "What if we had one more game? The two of you want to leave, while I've got no problem with staying. So we make it two on two." He hummed thoughtfully, glancing at Feel Good Inc. "Assuming you'd be okay teaming up with me, of course."

Josuke tensed, stepping forwards. "Like hell-!"

 _"Good idea! I've got the perfect game for this!"_

The world fell out from under their feet, Shizuka yelping when there was no longer anything holding her up.

"SHIZUKA!" Josuke roared, throwing himself after her. His fingers brushed hers, Crazy Diamond stretching out to yank her into Josuke's arms as they fell-

-And landed on what felt like loose sand. Josuke grunted as he stood up, helping Shizuka up and frowning when she winced. "Hey, you okay?"

"Just my shoulder, it's fine," she hissed, relaxing when Crazy Diamond's aura jumped from him to her. "Thanks."

"What the hell do you think we're doing now?" Josuke asked, looking around at the new surroundings. The place looked like a war zone; broken buildings, random walls, a long trench that led almost from one red-purple horizon to the other.

"I've got an idea," Shizuka said blandly, Josuke turning to see her clutch a shimmering piece of cloth, flapping in a non-existent breeze. "Looks like-

 _ **"CAPTURE THE FLAG!"**_

 **OoOoO**

Michael flinched as the voice echoed in his ear. "That was... pretty loud," he mumbled neutrally, examining the flag next to him.

 **" _The first team to have both flags in their base wins!"_** Feel Good Inc declared firmly, its voice returning to normal when it turned back to him. _"Sorry about that. Anyway, we should make a plan. Mr Josuke's really strong, and the girl's tricky. I almost had her a few times in Hide 'n' Seek, but she kept getting away. Like on the stairs, she tricked me into attacking her shoes, and then made me go totally the wrong way-"_

"If we're making a plan, shouldn't we _all_ talk?" Michael had to resist the urge to snap at this thing. The user had to be a child, that would explain a lot.

 _"Wh-what d'you mean 'all'? There's only two of us on this team."_

Black or White flowed upwards from his shadow, lifting the flag. "There's _four_ of us. You and Black and White as the Stands, and I'm one of the two users." At least, he hoped there was a user. An independent Stand- a _truly_ Independent Stand would... Fuck, that made for a scary prospect.

 _"I... D'you mean Jamie? I'm part of him..."_

"Exactly!" Michael didn't need to feign excitement at this revelation. "If the two of you work together on a goal, it'll amplify your abilities massively. So we should bring him here."

 _"... I don't know. He's... tired. Like, really tired. He won't be able to-"_

"That's because you just got your power, right?" Michael pressed, not liking the way the conversation had turned. "So obviously he'll be tired, he's not used to using your power yet. But I can help you. I've got a-a friend." Which was probably the easiest way to explain Cielo, honestly. "And he's got big plans. He's going to help everyone on Earth get new powers. And you could be a big help with that."

 _"I-I..."_ Feel Good Inc seemed almost... afraid, paralysed as it tried to come to a conclusion.

"Just let me talk it over with Jamie, alright? It'll take two minutes, tops." And if he had to stay playing games much longer, he'd go mad.

 _"...Okay. But be nice to him, alright?"_ With that maybe-threat, a door formed behind their flag. _"And don't take long, or I'll have to come find you!"_

He nodded solemnly, Black or White fading into darkness under his feet. He paused at the door, some instinct telling him of approaching danger. But then it was gone, as he stepped through the doorway.

A terrified-looking teenager was kneeling next to a bed, where a middle-aged woman was lying unconscious. There was a vague resemblance... mother and son, probably. "Are you Jamie?" Seeing the utter lack of reaction, he rolled his eyes. "Yes or no question, kid. I'm here about the whole... pocket dimension, spiritual power thing."

"...I'm Jamie. Do you know the way out of here? I tried to get Mom out, but every time she sees that purple stuff..."

He smiled, trying not to look threatening in any way. "Let's talk, Jamie. I think I can help you."

 **OoOoO**

"Are you sure about this, Josuke?" Shizuka asked, clutching his jacket as tightly as she could. Crazy Diamond was absently flicking a button around its fingers next to them. "Like, have you done this before?"

"Oh, yeah. A couple'a times, don't worry about it," he laughed, a little nervously. Crazy Diamond hovered overhead, readying its thumb and flicking the button into the distance like a bullet, dimly noting it embedding itself in a wall at the far end of the arena. "I mean, I don't remember the first time, since I kind of crashed, but it'll be fine."

"Wha-AAAAAAAAAAH!" Shizuka screamed, Crazy Diamond's power seeking to draw the jacket over to the button rather than the other way around, and dragging the two of them along for the ride.

After a dizzying few seconds, they landed, Josuke bending his legs and rolling sideways to cushion the impact. "See, I told you- Shizuka?" he blinked as she ran to the edge of the wall. What could she be-

"URP!" Oh. That.

"Easy, just take a couple of deep breaths," he grimaced, patting her back as she retched. "Come on, stand up for a second..."

"Oh, _God_. I'm not doing that again," she gulped, flicking her sunglasses down over her eyes. "Come on, Mister 'I-know-how-to-win-this', we need to find that damn flag and get going-" she halted, having stepped out into the open and realising just how far they'd travelled. "Oh."

 _"You're already here?"_

 **OoOoO**

"So... this guy you're working for..." Jamie shook his head, trying to keep his thoughts clear. "He wants to give everybody powers; give them these... 'Stand' things."

"Exactly, Jamie," Michael nodded. "It'll be a new world, one where people don't need to hide who they really are."

"It... it sounds great," Jamie eventually mumbled. Michael kept smiling, this was going just how he'd wanted- "Too great."

"Sorry?"

"It's... I watch a lot of TV, and... and the things you're saying... You're talking about everybody getting powers they can't control, like I did," Jamie stood up, shaking on his feet. "Makes me think that you're not the good guys in this. What happens when somebody gets the power to kill whoever they touch? Or, or atomic explosions, or something really bad like that? From what you said, they'll... they'll already be the worst kind of people. How are you going to stop them killing everyone?"

"Cielo'll be able to negate their abilities-"

"So your boss becomes the leader by default, because anyone he doesn't like loses all their power! Y-you're not heroes, you just want to take over the world!" Jamie snarled, standing between Michael and the unconscious woman. "I'm not gonna work with you."

"...Okay."

Jamie blinked. "Huh?"

"I said okay," Michael shrugged, standing up. "You don't want to be involved, you don't have to be. You can just stay out of our way, and we won't do anything." He stood up, mentally fuming as he evaluated his options. If the kid didn't want to get involved, he'd have to improvise-

"N-No." Michael blinked, at the quiet refusal. "If I got this f-from the airport, then it must've been for a reason. I-I'm not gonna let you hurt anyone else." Jamie gulped, putting up his fists hesitantly. It was horribly obvious that he had no idea what he was doing.

His thumbs were inside his fists, for Christ's sake.

"Are you serious about this?" he asked, Black or White appearing over his shoulder. The boy froze, swallowing down his fear, until a web of red threads burst out of nowhere in front of him.

 _"You leave Jamie **alone!"**_ Feel Good Inc screeched, throwing itself at Michael just as he reached into his jacket.

 **OoOoO**

Josuke flinched as a red tendril was caught barely an inch away from his face. He'd taken up the role of distracting Feel Good Inc while Shizuka grabbed the flag. It wasn't strong or fast enough to actually hurt him, but its threads could and did come from multiple angles at once, and Crazy Diamond had to constantly stay on the defensive to prevent it from wrapping Josuke up like a mummy.

"What did you do to Jamie and his mom?" he barked, trying to keep the enemy focused on him. If it realised that Shizuka had vanished after throwing a few rocks at the start of the fight, the whole plan fell apart. "Where did you put them?"

 _"I didn't do anything! Jamie wanted to play, but he was too tired. Mom couldn't see me properly, so she couldn't play, either. I left them back in the apartment-"_ Feel Good Inc paused, its tendrils hovering in mid-air. _"Something's wrong. He shoulda been back by now. I- Jamie's in trouble!"_

Josuke took advantage of its distraction to have Crazy Diamond grab it, holding it in place and restoring it to its original state, the threads flowing back into its abdomen. "Wait, what're you talking about?"

 _"No, lemme go! I have to get to Jamie!"_ Feel Good Inc struggled, unable to pry open any of Crazy Diamond's fingers. Some dark aura started radiating from it, the same colour as the 'sky'. _"I said let **me GO!"**_

It twisted in his grasp, space warping around it and pulling at the inside of his hand with a strange gravitational field, until-

 _CRACK!_

"Fuck!" Josuke yelled, clutching his (probably) broken fingers with his other hand. It had been so fast. One second, he'd been clutching the Stand, the next, the space where it had been had... broken, somehow expanding and contracting at the same time. It had bent Crazy D's fingers unnaturally, but more importantly... the Stand had gotten away. "Shizuka!"

And then everything vanished.

 **OoOoO**

Shizuka stopped by the flag, drawn to the door embedded in the wall behind it. She could hear voices... even if she couldn't make out any specific words.

It didn't even look special, just a normal apartment door. It was just... so out of place. A loud crack made her jump, accidentally bumping into the door and pushing it open-

 _"You leave Jamie **alone!"**_ Feel Good Inc burst out from nowhere, lunging at that Jackson guy and wrestling with his Stand. The way it had jumped out of the ether to protect the teenager - that had to be the Stand user! She could feel Achtung buzzing inside her, ready to throw herself into the fight-

 _BANG! BA-BANG!_

Shizuka tripped backwards, recoiling from the trio of explosions that rang out inside the room. Jackson casually replaced the gun into his jacket, watching Jamie collapse like a puppet with its strings cut. "...Shit. Shouldn't've done that." he mumbled to himself, his Stand dropping Feel Good Inc as it began crumbling into motes of light.

"JOSUKE!" she screamed, Achtung Baby rushing at Black or White and beating it relentlessly, while she rushed forwards to wrench to gun away from Jackson. "JOSUKE, HELP!"

"Shit! Black or White!" Jackson groaned, his Stand forcing Shizuka's away and smashing a window. Sunlight streamed into the room for an instant before he managed to throw Shizuka off of him, the gun flying across the room with her. Footsteps echoed from outside, someone charging up a flight of stairs-

He ran, falling through the open window and using his Stand to cushion his fall. Shizuka rushed over to Jamie's fallen form, trying to ignore the blood pooled around his head and stomach. "Oh my God, oh my God..."

 _"'M sorry..."_ Feel Good Inc rasped out, startling her. _"I... messed up..."_

"Shizuka!" Josuke gasped, rushing forwards and having Crazy Diamond heal the fallen boy. Three warped metal slugs popped out, landing just outside the sticky pool of blood. "Hey, hey, Jamie, you okay? You... oh. Oh, no, come on, don't do this... Damnit!" he snarled, seeing the last motes of Feel Good Inc fading away into nothing.

"Josuke?" Shizuka gulped. "Is... Is he...?" she began, before a sob wrenched itself free of her throat and she threw herself into Josuke's arms, shaking violently as she cried.

 **OoOoO**

 **Yeah... The first person I showed this chapter to said she now hates me, but that's kind of what I deserve...**

 **Stand Stats;**

 **Black or White - Michael 'Jackson'**

Power; A - Durability; B - Speed; A - Precision; B - Range; D - Potential; C

Black or White allows its user to meld with his shadow and move as a two-dimensional being, a trait that the Stand shares. In shadow form, its speed is limited by ambient light, and it becomes vulnerable to extreme light levels.

 **Other Stuff;**

 **G;** Vampires are weird enough that they can easily be a Stand ability, and as for Jamie...

 **Joker wx;** Glad you liked Joseph's plan; Rohan's experience with manipulating memories could've come in handy if anyone had known about Pucci's plans beforehand. And there was a (brief) team-up with Michael, just not Shizuka and Josuke.

 **Catch you next time, guys.**


	13. This is War

**Time for the heroes to get proactive, hunting down Black or White and his associates.**

 **They're on a mission now.**

 **OoOoO**

 **March 18th, 2012**

 _"So... where the hell do we go now?" Okuyasu grumbled, seeing the police cars and guard sentry gathered around the entrance to the jail. "I mean, it's not like we have any clues, do we?"_

 _"Ah, jeez, I don't- Koichi?" Josuke started, as the shortest member of the trio strode confidently towards the barricade. "What are you?"_

 _"Just follow my lead, and Okuyasu, don't say anything. You're still not fluent, and they might misinterpret something," Koichi muttered in a low voice, before clearing his throat and switching from Japanese to flawless English. "Excuse me, I'd like to ask you a few questions about the escape."_

 _"And who are you supposed to be? Buzz off, kid," one of the guards scoffed, barely even glancing in their direction. His companion opened his mouth to say something, before a burst of static came out from his walkie-talkie, the sound not stopping even when he pressed the buttons. "Johnson, go get a replacement. Half these things are busted."_

 _"Conan Rosier, here from Interpol," the blond retorted, pulling out a badge and flipping it open. Echoes Act I briefly flickered into visibility next to him. "This whole place was under observation for years before this latest screw-up. Do I have to add obstruction of an international investigation to the charges?"_

 _"I think you should, Boss," Josuke smirked, glancing to the guard's chest. "I've got the guy's badge number memorised."_

 _"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what the hell're you talking about?" the guard blinked dumbly._

 _Josuke took out his appointment book, flicking through the blank pages. "Well, I'm hearing about guards abusing prisoners, fights_ between _prisoners being either ignored or downright encouraged, and a whole host of bribery, fraud and unlawful incarceration charges, all coming back to this place. I imagine a minimum of what, ten years or so for everyone involved."_

 _Koichi nodded. "That's only the tip of the iceberg, too. The dozens of deaths, and the unexplained disappearances? And that's only in the last year! This place is going to be shut down regardless of what we find, and if_ you- _" he jabbed the guard in the chest with his finger. "-are so intent on going down with it, it makes no difference to me. But I have a wife and daughter at home, and I'm sick of wasting time with people who aren't even good at lying to my face._ Believe me _, I'll make sure you get singled out when I make the report."_

 _The guard blanched, taking a step backwards. "I'll have to clear it with my boss-"_

 _"Jonathan, get word back to start the paperwork for everyone here, I'm going home, fuck this place!" Koichi snapped, putting the badge back in his pocket and storming off. Josuke and Okuyasu shared a look, until Josuke shrugged._

 _"Shit, I guess we better make that call-"_

 _"Alright!" the prison guard called out. "Fuck, I'm not going down for these people. You can head in to the office, but if anyone says anything-"_

 _Josuke cut him off with a wave of his hand. "We strong-armed you, got it. Best of luck, and, uh... Maybe start checking the 'help wanted' ads? Just a thought." He brushed past the man with a friendly clap on the shoulder and gestured for the other two to follow him inside._

 _Koichi cocked his head to one side, Echoes bounding away and down a corridor. "I think the records are this way, going by what Jotaro told us. We don't have long though, they'll figure out we're not with Interpol pretty quickly."_

 _"Yeah, where did that come from, anyway?" Okuyasu asked, cocking a brow. "You're really good at acting crazy."_

 _"Mr Joestar offered me a few tips for getting in and out of places. If you can keep people off-balance long enough, they're more likely to do what you want than not. And if you put enough emotion into a lie, it makes your tells less obvious," Koichi rubbed the back of his head, a little embarassed. "So when I thought about missing Aya's birthday, it made it easy to act angrier."_

 _"Well, I'm not gonna question a good thing. Let's see what we can find out about Jolyne..."_

 **OoOoO**

"What's the situation, Doctor?" Josuke asked, looking in at the private room at Jamie's weeping mother. "Did I make it in time?"

Dr Green looked over his charts with a frown. "I'm sorry, Josuke. He's got a heartbeat, but... brain activity is non-existent. Life support is the only thing keeping his organs from failing." He placed the charts on a desk next to him. "What a waste. A kid like him, with his whole life ahead..."

"Shit..." Josuke sighed, rubbing his eye with the back of his hand. "Thanks for your help, Doctor. Just wish it had been under better circumstances... Make sure Mrs Hewlett gets whatever she needs, will you?"

"Of course. I just hope it'll give her some kind of relief, in such a horrific time..."

Josuke gave a grim nod, shaking the older man's hand and turning away. The whole situation was bringing back uncomfortable memories; of another kid who'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time and paid the price for it.

Some days were just shit.

 **OoOoO**

Joseph knocked on the door with his prosthetic, leaning on his cane. "Shizuka?" No response. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Shizuka, mind if I come in?"

He waited for a few seconds and sighed to himself, slowly opening the door and peeking inside. When that got no reaction, he stepped in, hobbling across to her desk and lowering himself into the chair beside it. "I see you left your lunch behind again," he commented, seeing the plate still covered in foil. "Shizuka, please answer me."

"'M fine," came a sullen voice, emanating from an empty space next to the bed. "Just not hungry."

"I know you're not fine, sweetheart." Joseph frowned slightly, his brow wrinkling with concern. "You've barely left your room all week, and you're not eating anything."

"I had a big breakfast-"

"You had two slices of toast, if that," he interrupted, wincing when the blanket disappeared from the bed. "Sorry. I just... I worry about you, Shizuka. Maybe more than I should, some days. But I just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes."

She didn't reply, but some instinct told Joseph she was paying attention, however grudgingly.

"Did Josuke ever tell you about Shigechi?" Joseph asked, Hermit Purple whispering to him that she'd nodded, picking up on some minor shift in the air. "He was just a kid who got in the way of a monster, who died when he decided to do the right thing and fight. It still weighs on Josuke a lot, and to see the same things happening here..." he trailed off with a sigh. "I know how... how shitty this kind of thing is. And I know the last thing you want to do is probably talk about it. But if you do, and I think you should, then Josuke and I know what it's like..."

"I was- I was right there, Dad. I could've saved him, if I'd sneaked inside instead of hiding behind the door," Shizuka's voice cracked slightly as she spoke, and she fell silent for another minute to collect herself. "I should've done something."

"... You remember Caesar, don't you?" Joseph coughed slightly as he spoke, letting go of his Ripple breathing for the moment.

"...yeah. He-He was your best friend, right?"

The older Joestar's lips twitched into a sad smile. "Yeah. He was. A great friend, better than I deserved, with how much of an ass I used to be. And I couldn't save him. If I hadn't let him go on ahead, we'd've fought Wamuu together. I should've saved him. But I couldn't."

"Dad-"

"And even before that, there was a friend of his. A guy called Mark. He didn't have any Ripple power in him, he shouldn't even have been there if not for us. Wamuu tore his body apart without even looking. Just because he was in the wrong place, at the absolute worst time," Joseph turned to the desk, leaning his face on his hands. "And Egypt. Three more friends, dead because I wasn't good enough, because I'd barely trained at all in fifty years."

"That wasn't your fault," Shizuka's voice was louder this time, bolstered by the anger heating her words. "Nobody would've died in Egypt if Dio wasn't an evil bast-!"

"Shizuka..." he interrupted, admonishing her for her language without any real sternness. "You're right. Caesar and Mark wouldn't have died if the Pillar Men weren't monsters. Dio killed dozens of people because of his bloody ego. And Jackson shot Mr Hewlett because he's a coward," His eyes rose to meet hers, barely visible behind the black glasses she was still wearing. "And I'm sick of it. It's time we stopped reacting and started _acting_."

"W-We?" Shizuka blinked, Achtung Baby appearing next to her with equally confused body language.

"Well, keeping you out of things isn't going to work, is it? Honestly, I'd prefer that we're all on the same page. It'll stop us from getting in one another's way, eh?" Joseph's soft expression hardened into a predatory smile. "We'll all get our shot at Jackson, I promise. You want to come out and help with the planning?"

The smile she gave in reply was weak and shaky, he mused, but it was a damn sight better than seeing his baby girl so despondent.

 **OoOoO**

"Boss," Michael gulped, anger radiating off the man in front of him. "I-I don't get it. I stopped the Joestars from getting access to the new Stand user. Maybe it wasn't the best option, but-"

"Michael, you shot a child in the face." The anger was cold, and Cielo's words could have cut diamonds. "I can _not_ forgive that, even if I were naive enough to believe you did this solely for the sake of the plan."

A flash of indignation ripped through him before he could stop it. "It was one guy. And you didn't hear him, Boss, he was dead-set on not working with us. Ever. He-His crazy Stand thought Higashikata was the coolest guy ever. It didn't matter what I said, honestly, because it was only luck that I got close enough to him to even _try_ and recruit him. Would've taken the Joestars maybe five minutes to talk him out of anything I said!" he finished with a wince. It was a lame excuse, and he knew it, but he'd panicked when the kid had tried to pin him in place-

"Stop. You are exceedingly lucky, Michael, that I have managed to take steps to fix your mistake. You have stretched my abilities more than any of my enemies because of your impatience."

A wave of anger, then fear, then a dangerous sort of calm settled over him. "So you've got the kid?"

"Thanks to Geoffrey amending the results of his medical examinations. A risk, especially if the Joestars go after Eiffel and himself. That does, however, buy you one last chance, Michael," Cielo raised a hand, hidden in the black and red claw of his Stand. "Take your followers, the few you haven't managed to alienate over the years, and delay the Joestars as long as you can. I've heard that Jolyne Kujo's sentence will be officially overturned in the next month. After that point, we can bring Jotaro Kujo to where we need him, and the plan is back on track."

"Boss, I-"

"Michael, _go_."

An odd sense of satisfaction swept through him, before the panic came back. "Alright, Boss. I-I'm sorry."

He paused when he stepped into the hallway outside, not sure where to go first-

"Hey, Mickey," Geoffrey smirked, Eiffel illuminating him from behind in electric blue light. "Huh. Boss really chewed you out over this mess, huh?"

"Shut up, Jey."

"No, no, it's good to see the chain of command is alive and well, and being used to whip people who get ideas above their station," Geoffrey chuckled at the sight of Michael's clenched fists. "Now, don't try anything you'll regret. You, me and Elle are the big three of this organisation. Try anything on me, and my recruits'll need to step in. How many d'you think you'd have in your corner?"

"The Joestars know about _you_ , too. Only a matter of time before you have to leave, too. And once we're both out on the street, how do you think these conversations are going to end?" Black or White's arm emerged from Michael's, clamping down on the shorter man's shoulder like a vice. "Have a think about that, _Geoff_."

He made his way through the building, scowling at the handful of people he passed. Eventually, he reached the 'dormitory' set up for those few recruits that spent a lot of time on the base.

"Lee, get your ass up. I need you for a mission," he snapped, before catching sight of the moving shapes in one of the beds. "Seriously? Do you have any professionalism, you-?"

A young woman, one he didn't recognise, caught sight of him and hid herself with an 'eep'. The other shape slid out from under the covers, revealing itself to be a well-built man, sweeping his long black hair out of his face as he stood up. "What can I say? The ladies love me-"

"Put on some clothes!" Michael barked, averting his gaze. "Look, we need a big distraction. Something public, something that'll pull attention away from the Boss. Keep the Joestars on a runaround for as long as possible, and I'll get the others to pick off their bodyguards one by one."

"How am I supposed to keep Joseph freakin' Joestar distracted? Newsflash, bro, I'm not exactly equipped to deal with guys like that."

Michael rolled his eyes, throwing a discarded shirt at his subordinate. "Figure it out. Worst comes to worst, he's got a daughter in the city. You could use her to get at him _and_ Higashikata."

"...Isn't she, like, thirteen?"

"Don't try bullshitting me about some moral compass, Daniels. Get moving, and try not to get... distracted again. I've got to pick up the rest of the group. I'll call you when I'm done, see where you are." Michael turned and strode away.

Lee paused halfway through buttoning the shirt, turning back to his startled... _companion_ with a grin. "You know... he'll be at least half an hour..." he drawled, eyebrow arching as his smile widened. "What do you think?"

She didn't reply, but the blush and shy smile she sent him said enough.

"I knew there was a reason I like you so much, Katie."

"U-Um, m-my name's Kristen."

 **OoOoO**

"So, we've got a group who attacked the airport with this 'Bronze Rain'," Joseph began, sat at the head of the table with his children either side of him. "We know two of their members, and have a list of potential members and abilities here."

"Since Donoghue disappeared right after I beat him, he might be involved too. He didn't get away under his own power, someone had to have helped him." Shizuka noted grimly.

"And the Foundation didn't have anything on him, either. That's not the biggest threat, anyway," Josuke mused. "That would be the guy who went after B.G.- the crazy hippy lady. If he can stop someone from using their Stand? That's... that's a big problem. We need to bring in the big guns."

"I'm sending a car down to Florida. Jotaro'll be here in a couple days."

Josuke froze halfway through a nod. "What about-?"

"He's bringing Jolyne and a couple of her friends, too. Part of the deal Judge Robinson worked out is that Jotaro's technically in charge of her custody-" Joseph began, before his son cut him off.

"No, Dad, I meant... what's happening with... _him?_ " Shizuka frowned, seeing Josuke's expression.

"Josuke, Rohan's a pretty cool guy, I don't know what you're so afraid of."

"I'm not afraid! And that guy's a real piece of-"

"Josuke..."

"A real piece of work," Josuke amended his statement slightly. "Is he going to be coming?"

Joseph snorted at seeing such an abashed look on a grown man's face. "No. He's staying at some retreat in the Alps, no phones, no computers. I left him an email, but God knows when he'll bother to check it, or bother to get in touch with any of us. If Joel really feels like he needs it, I have an address for the place, but we've got more immediate threats here at home."

"Anything turning up with Hermit Purple?" Shizuka asked. "I mean, you used it to find the guy in Morioh back when I was a baby, right? And to find Dio?"

Joseph stretched out the thorned vines of his Stand, which flickered when he coughed. "I've tried, but... There are so many new Stand users, it's causing interference. It's part of what took us so long to, you know, _actually_ find those guys. I've used it to make a few more pictures, but they're a little more abstract."

Shizuka looked over the old-fashioned polaroids the Stand had held out to her. A few images of Jackson walking along the street, surrounded by indistinct figures, some humanoid, others distorted to bizarre proportions. "He's surrounded by Stand users, it looks like. But he's outside..." she paused, removing her sunglasses for a better look. "Dio was posing in that picture you showed me, right? Almost like showing the birthmark was deliberate."

"Right... you think there's something more symbolic to them, don't you?" Joseph murmured. "I... That makes a lot of sense, actually."

He spread the photos out in front of him and took a few moments before speaking. "These early photos, these first ones, he's heading away from us, then there's one of him inside a building with no clear identifiers. It's like an office, there's a desk and chairs-"

"Like an interview room," Josuke noted, getting into the spirit of the exercise. "There's no-one there- Wait..." he pointed along the edge. "That's not really just darkness, those are shadows, something big. Maybe the guy in charge?"

"Or maybe part of Jackson's Stand, it messes with shadows, remember?" Shizuka reminded him. "It's only the ones after that that have these weird shapes following him."

"They're _following_ him..." Joseph parroted, tapping his chin in thought. "Josuke, hand me your phone for a second, will you? Left mine upstairs..."

He left the device face-up in front of him, taking a few deep breaths- then nearly hacked up a lung, as his lungs protested his use of Ripple. "Dad? What are you doing?"

"I completely forgot about Eiffel. But he _has_ to be connected, they're both trying to get more Stand users." Joseph rasped, forcing Hermit Purple to spark into the phone and light up the screen.

"Maybe they need a specific ability? Like, they're waiting for a Stand that can... grant wishes, or something?" The other two glanced at Shizuka, who shrugged. "I mean, why else have they waited so long to start doing all this? Why make, like, a hundred Stand users who could turn on you really easily?"

"A very good point. And we-" Joseph stopped short, catching sight of the new picture that had formed. "Shizuka, get my phone. Call Dr Green, quick!"

"Is that-?" Josuke choked out, his expression furious, as a hospital bed came into view on the picture, with two silhouettes slowly, jerkily, moving towards the door. The third character in the staticky image was immediately recognisable, the electric blue shape of Eiffel darting around the room.

"That's Jamie's room," Joseph confirmed, his hand clenching on the device, Eiffel disappearing into the wall by the bed and leaving the image to fade into static. "It's time we stop reacting and start acting. Give me one of Jackson's pictures. If he wants to fade into the shadows, then let's make sure he has _reason_ to."

 **OoOoO**

Michael sighed, tossing his jacket over his shoulder. With Daniels whining about his 'missed opportunities', the apartment he'd commandeered for a safehouse was borderline uninhabitable. He'd needed some air, even if that air was full of smog and way too warm for April.

Something didn't feel quite right, though, some instinct nagging at him to pay attention to the civilians around him as they glanced in his direction. He did look a little dishevelled, he supposed, but not nearly enough to warrant that level of reaction- he stopped, catching sight of a poster in a store window.

A poster of _him_ , with a warning that he was a terrorist wanted regarding the Belvedere Castle bombing, should be considered armed and dangerous, and to report any sighting of him to the police and to a special investigative unit...

The _Joestars_. He cursed to himself as he saw a uniformed cop slowly reaching for his weapon. He hadn't expected this, hadn't thought there was any chance of them using non-Stand users against him. "Black or White!" he growled, the dark figure deflecting the first panic shot before pulling Michael down into his own shadow and away from the immediate danger.

If Joseph Joestar thought he'd trapped Michael, though, he wasn't nearly as good as Cielo believed. All it would take was a quick phone call, and the battle would shift again.

 **OoOoO**

"Barely two days since you put this plan together, Dad," Josuke commented, hesitating a little. "Are you sure you've covered everything? You sent Suzi down to Florida, fair enough, but Shizuka's still here. And with the Foundation guys on the street-"

"Hold on one second, son," the older man held up his artificial hand, purple vines stretching out from his arm. "I think we've got a spy in our midst."

"A spy?" Crazy Diamond appeared instantly, ready to attack. "Where? I'll-!"

"I meant your sister, calm down..." Joseph chuckled as both Stand and user deflated instantly. "Shizuka, if you're there and I _catch_ you, you know it'll be worse than if you just admit it."

The faint undulations of Hermit Purple were the only thing either Joestar could hear for a few moments, before a sigh came from empty space, and Shizuka popped into being. "How'd you know I was here?"

"First, because you were bugging me all yesterday to know what I was planning, but then this morning? Nothing from you. Made me suspicious," Joseph smirked, seeing her facepalm at the rookie error. "And second, because I could pick up on your Ripple."

"You- What?"

The Ripple Master sat down with a groan. "Whenever someone uses the Ripple, obvious or not, there's this... ringing, just on the edge of hearing. I think only Ripple users can hear it, though."

Shizuka shook herself, moving past the new information. "Okay, so... Who are the reinforcements I heard you talking about? Jack and Harrison said something about the Italians- Eep!" she cut herself short with a yelp as Josuke's expression hardened suddenly.

"Dad, you didn't..."

"Josuke, I did what I had to, to keep my family safe, all right? I've made a deal with Giovanna-" Josuke looked murderous for a second, but Joseph didn't even flinch.

"Who's Giovanna?" Shizuka asked, her brother jumping when she spoke up. Almost like he'd forgotten she was there-

"He's a criminal, based in Italy. He's got nearly as much manpower and resources as the Foundation, and he knows about Stands," Joseph stated, hobbling past Josuke as he spoke. "I've kept him up to date on what's been happening here. In exchange for the information, he's agreed to send a few of his subordinates who have Stands of their own. They'll work on cornering Jackson and his followers, while the Foundation keeps watch around the perimeter."

"Dad-" Josuke tried again, less heatedly. "I know he helped us out in Florida, but that was for his own benefit- He even admitted as much to Jotaro! We can't trust him! Hell, did you forget that he's Dio's-"

" _Enough_." Joseph's face could have been carved from stone, as he stood up as straight as he could, looking straight into his son's face. "Josuke. I know who Giovanna is. Do you really think I'd contact him without good reason? I _know_ the risks. But if everyone you healed in that airport got a Stand, that's easily fifty new Stand users, most of whom don't have control over their powers. We do not have the manpower to handle them _and_ Jackson at the same time, so I made a call. I'm asking you to trust me. Do you?" he demanded, his breathing laboured.

Josuke froze for a moment, visibly weighing the argument in his head. "...Alright. I still don't _like_ this," he sighed, his eyes flicking over to Shizuka as his shoulders sagged. "But! If any of them look like they're going to be a threat, I'm going to handle them. Non-negotiable."

"I can live with that-"

"Mr Joestar!" Harrison burst in in full sprint. "There's something going on a couple streets over, some kind of riot! They're headed this way- we got a report that Jackson was with them when it started! We've drawn him out!"

Joseph nodded grimly at the younger man, turning to Josuke and Shizuka. "Seems like you'll get your chance to vent some frustrations, son. And Shizuka? Just try not to get in over your head.

"Let's show Jackson what happens when you mess with the Joestar family."

 **OoOoO**

 **Sorry about the delay on all my stories, I've been dealing with medical issues for the last couple of months. Still not 100% over them, but I didn't want to leave things hanging for too much longer.**

 **Anyway, next chapter will feature the Joestars facing off against the instigator of this riot. Catch you next time!**


	14. Black or White (I)

**Time for a good old-fashioned display of Stando Powah. As is tradition.**

 **And in the flashback, an even more old-fashioned beatdown. As is also tradition.**

 **Last thing, I changed one of the character's names, because it made a fun joke, and then I changed a couple in _this_ chapter to make two more. So Chris from the last chapter is now named Lee Daniels. Just in case anyone doesn't check the edited version of chapter 13.**

 **OoOoO**

 _ **December, 1920**_

 _George strode through the halls of the manor house, forcing a calm expression onto his face. He raised a hand to his jacket, barely hearing the crinkling of the paper hidden inside. He cursed silently to himself when he caught sight of the approaching wheelchair._

 _"Ah, Mr. Joestar," the thing in the wheelchair rumbled. "Or should I call you Captain? The stripes suit you well." It... smiled, gesturing weakly to the new badge attached to his uniform. A girl, visibly younger than George himself, was stood quietly some distance away, her uniform marking her as a household maid._

 _"Thank you, sir," he heard himself saying, mouth twitching to try and imitate a smile. "I wasn't expecting a promotion, especially now that the War's over." The monster's mouth widened even further, showing teeth that were just slightly too long, too sharp._

 _"Hah! My boy, there's no-one more deserving! I've never met a soldier so brazenly fearless. Those aerial stunts you pulled would've killed an old man like me. We need new blood in our ranks!" it boomed out in laughter. "Though I can't complain about the service, they sent sweet Maria here to me. Trained as my nurse and a chauffeur, if you can believe it, such a remarkable woman. She's more than I deserve, honestly."_

 _'That much is true,' George thought grimly to himself. "I just hope I can live up to everyone's expectations. Sir." He added the last after a moment of deliberation._

 _"Ah, these old bones are tiring... Maria, would you mind helping me? I'll need to dress my wounds this evening, I fear..."_

 _"Of course, sir." Maria curtseyed, stepping up behind him and pushing the wheelchair past George with a whispered greeting. As soon as the pair were out of sight, he turned, some gut instinct telling him to follow them. Even if he was useless in this situation._

 _Damn it all, why hadn't he agreed to Straizo's offers to train him? The Ripple, the Hamon, was practically in his blood, and Elizabeth had spent years with her adopted father, practicing the esoteric martial art. He wouldn't need to sneak around like this..._

 _A shriek broke the silence of the evening, before just as quickly being muffled. His hands curled into fists. There was nothing he could do. No way for him to kill this... vampire? Zombie? Whatever this creature was. He'd be setting himself up to die._

 _Another cry of pain and panic, just on the other side of the door. Had he not followed the monster, he'd never have heard the sound. This was a war. Casualties were expected._

 _And he was a soldier._

 _The door almost snapped off of its hinges as he collided with it, righting himself and letting loose three shots from his sidearm in the same motion. "Miss Maria, get behind me."_

 _"George?" The behemoth growled, his half-naked form looming over them both. "George, this isn't-"_

 _"Enough, Amarillo. You don't get to kill any more innocents. Not while I'm still standing." George kept his weapon trained on the monster, whose wounds seemed only superficial. He grabbed Maria's hand and tugged her over to him, giving her hands a quick squeeze when he released her._

 _"So brave... just like your father. And you'll die like your father, in agony at the hands of a superior being!" Amarillo lunged for them, his claws missing Maria by a hair's width._

 _"Run!" George barked to her. "Don't stop! I'll hold him off!" He pushed the girl out the door and slammed it shut. His third shot rang out, piercing through Amarillo's palm with a spurt of dark, almost sludgy blood._

 _"You-!" it roared, flinching back slightly. He didn't give it a chance to continue, his free hand reaching out and grasping the first thing he could- a cheaply-made chair, which burst into splinters when he smashed it against the scarred jaw of his opponent._

 _His fourth shot went wide, the recoil and awkward angles throwing his aim completely off. He stepped closer and slammed his shoulder into Amarillo's chest, knocking it into its chair and sliding it backwards. He wouldn't get a chance to reload, and with only two shots left, he'd have to take the opportunity, he squeezed the trigger-_

 _"AARGH!" the beast screeched, flailing wildly and managing to knock his weapon out of his hand. The gun bounced across the room, skidding across the polished wood. He hadn't hit the brain, from the looks of it, but he'd managed to burst one of Amarillo's eyes like a balloon. Dull ichor was oozing down the side of its face, slopping to the floor with wet 'thump' sounds. "JOESTAR!"_

 _He ducked to the side, landing close to the bed. Half of the beast's uniform was left abandoned on the rug; cap, jacket, and... he threw his arms upwards with a grunt of exertion. The ceremonial sword in his hands shook alarmingly but held, the monster's punch just about being deflected._

 _"That's my weapon, you little- Argh!" Amarillo stumbled backwards when a foot collided with its midsection, George pulling the sword back in a crude but functional stance. "You're as much of a nuisance as your father!"_

 _"I am not my father. I am George Joestar, Captain of the RAF. I fought a war to protect my country and my people from monsters in human skin. You are no different."_

 _"You..." Amarillo seethed, until the distant sound of a clock striking the hour echoed through the house. "You- You're stalling. Trying to buy time for the girl to escape. Aren't you?"_

 _George stilled. "I told you. I'm here to put an end to you. Even if it kills me to do it, I will make sure you die. How many innocent people have you killed?"_

 _Amarillo actually smirked at that. "How many have you killed? It's no secret that you have quite the body count yourself!" he roared, charging forwards and batting George aside. The bedframe creaked ominously when the behemoth bounced off of it._

 _"Forty-three. Forty-three that I can confirm. Twelve in the air, thirty-one on the ground. And I wish to God none of them had been necessary, but they were," George groaned out, feeling something shift in his ribcage. "You don't seem concerned about Maria. She'll be outside by now."_

 _"Idiotic girl- I don't have a car. The town is miles away and there's only a single path, I can kill you both long before sunrise," Amarillo sneered. "And no-one will ever know you were here. An unfortunate accident along the path, tragically taking the life of such a heroic young man."_

 _George felt a laugh bubble up inside him, painful and short. "But she does know how to drive. You told me so yourself. She's a chauffeur. Quite open-minded of you, hiring a woman for such a typically masculine role."_

 _The sound of the engine from outside was sweeter music than any birdsong. Amarillo darted to the window in panic. "No. No, no, NO! NO! YOU-! I'LL KILL YOU, JOESTAR!"_

 _George barely had time to thrust the sword forwards before he was grabbed and tossed to the floor, head smacking against the polished wood of the fireplace. Amarillo let out an inarticulate roar, yanking the blade out of his gut and tossing it aside. "It doesn't matter. She's just some foolish girl from the back end of nowhere. I'm a pillar of the community. No one will believe her. As for you..."_

 _George was barely aware of being lifted, but the sudden wave of heat from the fire was more than enough to focus his attention. He drove his elbow upwards into Amarillo's jaw, struggling to his feet in the inches of space he'd made for himself. He kicked the zombie's knee, trying to knock it off-balance._

 _"No. More. Tricks." Amarillo seethed, its arm whipping downwards and clutching George's leg. It wrenched its arm to the side-_

 _Kr-SPLTCH!_

 _George let out an agonised scream as his lower leg was torn off from the knee down. Falling to the floor, he desperately reached out, flames lapping at his gloves as he tossed a handful of burning coals into Amarillo's face._

 _Amarillo stumbled backwards, tripping on something before it could see again. "I have to admit, Joestar, you are resilient, for a human. But you're not going to survive that. You will die here, and once I consume you, I'll be back to my full power. You've achieved nothing."_

 _"... Have you... heard of... a man called Straizo?" George gasped out, his vision swimming. "I've contacted him. The Ripple Master, Tonpetty's Disciple..." His better hand closed around the familiar grip of his revolver, knocked just close enough to reach by Amarillo's stumbling._

 _"Clever, Joestar. But you couldn't kill me with your pistol when you were intact. What chance have you now you're dead?"_

 _George's eyes flickered, only staying open by sheer force of will. "This house... so decadent... You've sunk... a lot of money... into it. All these paintings... and sculptures..." He looked upwards, his weapon following his line of sight. "...and chandeliers."_

 _"Wha- NO!" Amarillo snapped, but the bullet had already been fired. The thin chain holding the light fixture snapped and the full weight of it crashed down onto the zombie's shoulder. A loud SNAP echoed through the room, Amarillo's arm bending at a sickening angle._

 _"You- ARGH! WHY DON'T YOU DIE? WHY DO YOU INSIST ON FIGHTING? JUST DIE! JOESTAR!"_

 _George's arm fell to the floor limply. He could hear the sparks from the fire jumping to his uniform, scorching it. A lick of flame caught his sleeve and didn't extinguish, the cloth burning slowly at first, but faster and faster as it spread. He barely felt the heat, only a dimming of the cold that had surrounded him._

 _"Goodbye... Lisa... Joseph... I'm sorry. Take care of yourselves."_

 _OoOoO_

 _"You... you had a message for me, miss?" Elizabeth asked, subtly adjusting her stance in case this dishevelled woman tried to attack._

 _"I- My name is Maria. I-I have this letter, f-from your husband."_

 _Elizabeth's hand shook as she took the sealed envelope, marked as for 'My Dearest Lisa'. Somehow... Somehow, she knew what it said already._

 _George Joestar was dead._

 ** _OoOoO_**

"Josuke, Harrison, get going," Joseph barked, opening a laptop. "Shizuka, I know better than to hold you back, but try and keep out of sight, okay? I'll keep an eye for Jackson. If he's anywhere _near_ a camera, I'll find him."

"Right! Harrison, follow me. We're going to deal with this crowd. 'Zuka, you- you're gone. Okay, that's fine," Josuke sighed, rubbing his brow in exasperation. "Dad, give Jack a call, keep him up to date on what's happening."

Joseph adjusted his glasses with a smirk, seeing several images already popping up. "You're not getting away this time, you son of a bitch."

 **OoOoO**

Lee blinked as his phone went off, winking at the crowd around him. "Sorry, ladies, I've got a business call," he smiled. "Hey, Jackson."

 _"Have you seen the posters?"_ came the terse question, Jackson audibly seething.

"Yeah. I thought you were going incognito on this-"

 _"It wasn't me, jackass, it was Joestar. He's got people watching the whole city. If I even go outside, he'll find me, and I can't use Black or White to get away until it's darker. Look, just don't kill him or his kids. Capture them, if you can, but Cielo needs them alive."_

"Yeah, about that... Look, Wecht is a cool guy and all, but 'not killing' doesn't seem to be in his wheelhouse," Lee groaned, tilting his head to stare at the other Stand user in the middle of the mob. A powerfully-built man, arms folded as he stood ramrod-straight atop a parked car. "Also, does he talk? Just, you know, I've kind of been carrying the conversation-"

"!" A silent motion signalled Wecht's sudden reappearance next to Lee. His eyes, the only part of his face visible through his mask and hood, were wide with undiluted rage as he pulled back a fist-

-and flipped Lee off with his other hand, before just as quickly returning to his previous position some feet away.

"..."

 _"He just flipped you off, didn't he?"_

"It's what he does, isn't it? At least I can get the gist of what he means... Well, would you look at that? Higashikata's already here."

 _"Leave him to Wecht. Hanson's a couple of blocks away, I'll point him your way. Don't fuck this up."_

Lee ended the call, running his fingers through his hair. "Alright, Daniels... showtime," he muttered to himself, turning to face the approaching threat. "So, you must be Josuke."

 **OoOoO**

Josuke's fist clenched at his sides, noting the way the crowd was moving to let him pass, but keeping him flanked. Crazy Diamond's energy roiled inside him, demanding some catharsis after all that this group had tried.

"So, you must be Josuke," grinned the apparent leader, a tall, thin man dressed in a tight blue outfit, with a leather jacket thrown on over it, open to show the shirt's very deep neckline. Dark hair spilled down to his shoulders, the loose curls adding at least another inch to his height.

"And you're working with Jackson. Would you mind if I asked a few questions?" Josuke offered, as politely as he could. "Also, I really hate to be 'that guy', but you're loitering right now."

"Wow, you're not what I expected. I kind of thought there'd be more punches thrown by now," the leader's smirk slipped. "Unless you're here as a distraction."

Josuke blinked, some instinct warning him about the danger- "DORA!" Crazy Diamond's arm formed just in time to block a knife, thrown at Josuke's eye from somewhere above. "Huh, that's interesting..." he mumbled, seeing a second man crouched on the top of a streetlamp.

"Damnit, Wecht, I told you not to kill this guy!"

Josuke felt his lips twitching when the masked attacker just shrugged carelessly, somehow not even swaying on his perch. _'Maybe I can try out some of Dad's tactics here,'_ he thought, trying to put a plan together as he dropped the knife in front of him. "Come on, you don't see people pulling Batman shit like that too often. Then, I'm not really from the city- _Does_ this kind of thing happen, often?" he drawled, directing his question to one of the women in the crowd.

"If only every day was like today..." she sighed breathlessly, not really focusing on him.

"Oookay."

"Look, just let me do the talking!" the head of the group was yelling, regaining his composure after a moment. "Listen, Josuke, I think we're getting off on the wrong foot here. For starters, I haven't even introduced myself. You can call me Lee. And all this is just a protest at your blatant abuse of your authority. Just because your father's one of the richest men in New York, he doesn't have the authority to start a manhunt."

"No, he doesn't," Josuke admitted. "But security footage of Jackson leaving a store where a kid was attacked, delivered to the authorities, when the man is a known enemy of mine and clearly was gunning for me in the attack? That's a different story."

"That's a good point. But why, then, would- You're stalling. Waiting for backup?"

"Aren't you?" Josuke grinned, immediately before two new Stands burst out of nowhere beside him, one short and stocky, the other tall, thin and vaguely feminine. They darted forwards, only to be met by a blue shockwave that erupted from Lee's position.

"Hanson!" Lee beamed. "Think you can handle Higashikata while Wecht and I handle the other two?"

"Easily! I've got this. In. The. B-FUUCKK!" the newcomer winced, a button flying at him and striking him right in the middle of his forehead. "What the fuck?"

"I'm going to run my shirt at this rate," Josuke muttered, as the users of the other two Stands appeared next to him, blinking as their eyes adjusted to the light. "Jack, Harrison, you hold off the ninja guy. Careful, I didn't even see him until after he attacked, so watch your backs. I'll be fine here."

Said ninja's eyes narrowed, and his form blurred into nothing. After a tense few seconds, he reappeared mid-stab, Josuke barely turning as the blade approached.

"YUTUU!" a voice cried, the knife shattering as a Stand's disembodied arm slammed into the flat of it. Wecht vanished again before Achtung Baby could grab hold of him.

The sounds of the crowd had dimmed to near-silence, until Shizuka's voice broke the tension, echoing from nowhere in particular. "So, how are we going to start this?"

 **OoOoO**

Jackson curved around the corner of the building, returning to his human form with a wince. The sunlight was reflecting off the polished glass of the nearby buildings, and he didn't want to deal with the Speedwagon Foundation's agents. Guns wouldn't do anything to his shadow state, but Joestar almost definitely had something to counter that. All he had to do was get inside Pendleton Tower. He could go after the old man himself, while the others handled Higashikata and the girl.

Failing that, he could always take the wife hostage. An old woman, who couldn't even see Stands herself? A piece of cake. But he'd have to handle it carefully.

He faded into darkness again, ignoring the burning pain when a sunbeam fell over him, as an opportunity revealed itself. One of the worthless, powerless agents was approaching his position, eyes focused on his phone. As the agent passed him, he darted across the ground and melded with the man's shadow, allowing the man to carry him closer. Hopefully, none of them would notice the slight change in the shadow's colour.

The phone rang suddenly, the agent almost fumbling it as he answered. "H-Hello? Oh, Mrs Joest- What? I'm on my way, don't worry!" It took the fool a few seconds to end the call and return the device to his pocket - he kept grabbing at his shirt and adjusting it.

"Boss! Mr Joestar's having a heart attack! I've got to go!" he roared to the other agents, sprinting into the building and dragging Jackson along in his shadow. He forced himself to stay calm. As long as he contacted Cielo quickly, they'd find some way to get the information out of the old man.

Besides, the old man might not even die. If the Pillar things and Dio Brando hadn't managed to kill him, Joseph Joestar might have actually become some kind of immortal through sheer dumb luck.

"Good, you're here," Suzi breathed, clutching at the door frame. "Get in, quickly. We need to get him inside before anyone tries anything."

The agent burst into the room, fiddling with a box on the wall. A human frame, with a heavy coat and hat visible from the back, was slumped over a table with one hand reaching for a laptop that had been turned away from him. The door swung shut behind them with a quiet 'click', as Jackson silently erupted from the shadow and readied Black or White to attack-

BANG! B-BANG- _Tsltch_!

He stumbled backwards as two bullets rebounded off the wall in front of him, and then rebounded _again_ from behind him, with one landing in the back of his leg. The agent turned to face him with a smirk, tossing aside his hat and opening the top buttons of his uniform shirt. "I've got four more shots and I'm not firing backwards this time, _stronzo_ ," he drawled, with a distinct Italian accent, levelling his revolver at Jackson's head height.

"Shit!" Jackson hissed, Black or White jumping into the path of the bullet and deflect it-

-Wait, was there something behind the bullet?-

-The metallic slug abruptly changed directions again, this time grazing his shoulder as both Stand users jumped away from one another. In a ranged battle, he was at a huge disadvantage. He just had to reach the old man-

"RARARADEE!" 'Joseph' bellowed, white-'gloved' hands beating him to a pulp before Black or White could intervene. The Stand threw its disguise aside, somehow managing to bow sarcastically before grabbing his collar and slamming him against the wall. Instinctively, he began melting into shadow, ignoring the burning from the fluorescent lights.

"Hey, Mr Joestar," grunted a voice, as a figure crawled out from under the table. "Probably a good thing I'm useless with your magic sunlight breathing. Otherwise, I'd've never thought to grab these."

Joel flicked his wrist, pulling out a thin metal cylinder and pointing it at the panicking Jackson with a smirk. "Like it? Something like two thousand lumens. It's like a bright summer day, in the palm of your hand."

The light was pain, scorching his skin and forcing him to become solid again. Piano Man hefted the man into its former seat, allowing the Italian to step up next to him and press the gun against his temple. A set of three imp-like figures climbed out from his shirt and onto the gun, clinging to it with eager grins.

Joel clicked the light off, his mechanical fingers clacking as he grabbed the laptop and turned it around. Joseph Joestar was leaning down in a similar room, the image showing up on the screen. "You were right about him. A bluff to draw us out of the tower so he could go after you. Thank God you got a new bodyguard."

"...How?" Jackson rasped out, Piano Man grabbing his arm and pinning it behind his back. With its free hand, it pulled away his gun and threw it backwards into nothingness.

"Please," Joseph scoffed. "You're reckless, and your boss isn't. I knew pushing you out into the public eye would invite a response, and after Jamie, you wouldn't want to go up against Josuke or Shizuka. You'd come after me. And you did. Did it occur to you that I'm more of a tactician than a fighter? That I'd maybe be able to set up some defences in the place I've lived for almost fifty years?"

"Who did you send to Italy?" the foreigner burst in, looking angry. "Someone's been sabotaging our work, taking out Stand users. Give me a name."

"You think I know? Boss doesn't put all his eggs in one basket, _Guido Mista_. I know your organisation's already about to fall. Spread yourself so thin that you can't keep your territory under control," Jackson sneered, eyes bloodshot. "Giovanna's next in the firing line. He'll be dead before you get back to Europe."

"You-?" Mista snarled, his finger shaking on the trigger.

"So, Giorno's next? This is good info you're feeding us, Jackson. Which is why I don't believe it," Joseph scoffed, leaning back in his seat. "Oh, there's some truth. You're aiming for Giorno, but not soon. He's too powerful. You're undermining his organisation, but if you had the power to collapse it, it would have already collapsed. So you..." he frowned. "you're another distraction. Probably a lot earlier than he'd planned to use you, but still... Joel, time to go. Mista, get in touch with your boss, I'll hit the lights while you leave."

"What?" Jackson snarled, seeing Piano Man and the imps vanishing. As soon as the two Stand users left, the walls and floor began emitting a soft glow, bombarding him with light from all sides. "You- You can't do this to me! Cielo's going to destroy you for what you've done, you bastard!"

Joel frowned at the muffled yelling from the locked room. "I... I have to ask. How the hell did you have that room set up already?"

"It wasn't originally for him. A guy Jotaro and I met in Egypt tried to get revenge on me about ten years ago, and we had to build a holding cell for him. I thought it was worth keeping around, even if he's in prison now." Joseph mumbled, making his way out to meet them in the hall.

"Huh."

"Yeah, I've had a pretty crazy life. Anyway..." Joseph held up his phone. "It's been long enough, but I still can't get hold of Josuke or Shizuka. Maybe I'm being paranoid, these things are hard enough to keep track of when you're not fighting, but..."

"Got it," Joel nodded, glancing out the corner of his eye at Mista. "I'll go. They won't trust you, and you can handle defence better than I can."

"You're putting a lot of faith in me, kid," the Mafioso smirked darkly. "You're not worried I'll pull something when you're all gone?"

The teenager mimicked the expression, Piano Man showing a solemn frown on its mask. "You're not that stupid. Mr Joestar, remember to contact Dr Green. I doubt this guy'll give up anything willingly."

He left at a run, Piano Man launching him over the banister of the stairs and helping him control his fall. Joseph chuckled, scrolling through his contact list. "I mean, he's not wrong. You know even if you manage to do anything to me, you'll have to deal with the rest of the family. And the extended family.

"Hey, Bill. We've got him. We'll need your help to keep this quiet. And to put him back together once we're done."

OoOoO

A clawed hand shattered the table in front of the shadowy figure, startling Geoffrey out of his chair. "Christ, Boss. What the hell just-?"

"I've been watching the Tower. Michael was stupid enough to get caught. I'll have to deal with him before their group can get any answers out of this. Make the call to our men in Japan. I want Joestar back on the defensive."

"Wait, I thought this was supposed to hap-" Geoffrey stopped short, as red-black wings erupted from Cielo's back. The 'feathers' looked razor-sharp, ready to tear through him at a moment's notice. "Wrong time?"

"I've worked on this plan for _decades_. The pieces are only in place for so long, and I _cannot_ have my lieutenants ruin things by making such a reckless move."

Geoffrey nodded shakily, feeling some hysterical laughter bubbling up inside him. He shook himself and stood up. "Alright, boss, I'll make the call. Keep your hair on..." He strolled out into the sunlight, letting his thoughts wander as the call was connecting.

Why would the boss become so upset at Michael's distraction? It had kind of been his idea, right? For someone so controlled and restrained, his reaction seemed... off. He snapped back to attention when the call finally connected. "Hey. Boss says go ahead with the attack. Leave them alive, though. Especially the woman. We'll need a bargaining chip."

Maybe it was useless trying to guess what was going through Cielo's mind. The guy hadn't failed any part of his plan so far, whether by accounting for all the variables, or just playing the hand he was dealt as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Almost seemed like he was cheating, somehow. At least the pay was good.

 **OoOoO**

 **Thanks for your kind wishes! I have a date for surgery to clear up my issues, so hopefully I'll be back to normal in a month or so.**

 **Other Stuff;**

 **Death. exe;** Thank you so much! Saying that I capture even some of the original's essence is really high praise, and I'll try to keep to that standard.

 **Joker wx;** Like I said above, all my medical stuff should be cleared up by Christmas.  
Cielo is complex. I wanted to make him different to the other antagonists I'd seen, make him distinct. His Standards being different is one part of that.  
As for Passione, you can probably guess from this chapter who got sent.  
Jotaro and Jolyne should be here _relatively_ soon. Unless I change my mind about that.

 **DAIrinchan;** Joseph's a pretty good father, on the whole. He just didn't know about Josuke for a long time, but he's made the effort since to bond with his son.  
As for Giorno, I feel like Joseph would probably be the most trusting of him, with Jotaro and Josuke only reluctantly working with him. He's probably not invited for Christmas. 'I'm a Mafia Boss' is one of those things that'd make a family reunion really awkward. They're on the same side for the time being, at least.

 **hellothere78899;** Thank you for your kind words! Hope you're still enjoying this!

 **Guest;** Honestly, I just think Ripple is a fun word to use, and it doesn't come up that often for me.

 **Anyway, I know there's not as much here, but this is my first try at a multi-chapter arc for this story. I'm loving the new designs for Jackson's group, too. I bet some of you have already guessed who they're (visually) based on.**

 **Catch you next time!**


	15. Black or White (II)

**Sorry for the delay on writing. Between Corona and trying to do a thesis and being volunteered to help out with homework for the others trapped in the house, I've had no time or energy left to write.**

 **Time to show how Cielo handles a captured minion scenario. Should be fun!**

 **Time for a quick jump back to Florida first, though.**

 **OoOoO**

 **March 19, 2012**

 _"Good afternoon, sir."_

 _Giorno paused, staring blankly at the man holding a sign reading 'Shiobana Haruno'. "Ah, scusi, but I think you might have... What is the word? Mis-took-en me for someone else?" he smiled, his accent and mannerisms switching abruptly to those of the perplexed tourist._

 _"My apologies, but Mr Joestar was quite clear. I understand this isn't your name, but it is one you'd recognise, sir," the stranger mimicked Giorno's placid expression perfectly. "He's arranged for you to speak nearby, if you'd like? Or perhaps you'd prefer to take to the car?"_

 _Gold Experience flickered into existence next to Giorno, twisting its body to throw a punch-_

 _-And stopping less than an inch away from the stranger's face. The man never moved, didn't even blink._

 _"You said Joestar, correct?" Best to play along for the time being. Polnareff, at least, had nothing but respect for the Joestars, and Giorno trusted his judgement. Kujo wouldn't have used that name, so that left..._

 _"Indeed, sir. Joseph Joestar. If you would please follow me?"_

 _He followed the man through the crowd, which seemed to almost instinctively part to let them through. The stranger stopped at a door marked 'Employees Only', shaking hands with the security guard stood next to it. The guard glanced over at Giorno with a slight frown._

 _"You're the consultant from Italy?"_

 _"Who else would I be?" Giorno retorted, allowing a hint of irritation to seep into his voice. "It's not as though you've had many people trying to get in here, is it?"_

 _"Please," the stranger interrupted. "Sir, I'm sure you have many questions, but Mr Joestar will be better able to answer them than either of us. He'll speak to you once you're inside. The room is soundproof, so you'll have to let yourself out when you've finished." He shot a Look at the guard, who grunted something and handed over a key._

 _Giorno nodded respectfully, examining the door and the key with due suspicion, while Gold Experience used its ability to check for any signs of life inside the room. "You understand my... wariness, I assume."_

 _"Of course, sir. It is... an unusual situation."_

 _While his mind was screaming at him to ignore them and move along with his own investigation, Giorno could feel something in his gut, some instinct, telling him to at least hear the head of the Joestar family out. There was no sign of anyone concealed within the room, no indication of anything beyond a fly climbing across the table. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, his Stand subtly filling the lock mechanism with wood and quietly disabling it as he shut it behind him._

 _A laptop was set up on the table, humming quietly as an icon flashed on the desktop. He took the seat provided for him and clicked the blinking icon, a new window opening on the screen._

 _"Joseph Joestar. I've heard a great deal about you," he stated, almost as soon as the old man -his nephew, technically- appeared on the screen. "However, if I may say so, your timing could use some work. I am in this country on urgent business."_

 _"I know. It was my idea, after all," Joseph replied, sounding equally pleasant and passive. "Jotaro had the letter written before he convinced himself not to contact you. Something about you not trusting him as a result of what happened between himself and Dio."_

 _Giorno tensed for a second before he could stop himself. It_ had _seemed suspicious that Kujo would have contacted him, of all people, and truly, honestly, expected help. "So you've lured me into Florida under false pretences, then."_

 _"On the contrary. The only lie on that letter you received was the detail of who sent it. Pucci is still a threat, one that threatens you as much as he does us. And you'll need to know the details before you confront him, especially if he's completing Dio's plan."_

 _"Your letter mentioned that. What, exactly, is this plan?" Giorno asked, finding himself intrigued despite the dark surge of emotion at the mention of his dead father. "Does this priest plan to resurrect- Brando?" he pressed, grateful that he managed to not hesitate for more than a split-second._

 _"In a sense. Jotaro had only told me the bare minimum until recently, but from what he's told me, the plan involves manipulating the timeline. To rewrite the past using the power of his Stand."_

 _"Rewrite the past? Is that this priest's ability?" That... was a terrifying thought. Eerily reminiscent of Diavolo's King Crimson, and of his own Requiem. But then... "That's... That makes no sense. If he had that power, then he could erase any of his failures. He would never have allowed the information to come to light in the first place."_

 _"It has something to do with the solstice, we know that. He also has to reach somewhere near Cape Canaveral. Once he's there, his Stand will alter itself to let him rewrite time," Joseph coughed suddenly, his hand coming away from his mouth with flecks of blood on it. "He's contacted three of Dio's other children and brought them to Florida to work for him. Somehow, the essence he now shares with Dio resonates with them - something I'm sure you've noticed."_

 _"I have siblings?" That was interesting, and helped him ignore the surge of pity at seeing the legendary Joseph Joestar brought so low by the passage of time. "How many?"_

 _"As far as we know, there are three others in Florida. Donatello Versus is a year or so younger than you, while the other two are two years younger, both born in 1988. Here they are... Manuel Ungalo and... Sophus Rikiel? Jeez, poor kid. I'll transfer the files to you, hold on a moment."_

 _It took less than a minute for the files to appear, and Giorno eagerly opened them, his heart falling further and further with every line he read. "An innocent man with a well-earned hatred of society, a lifelong drug addict, and a nervous wreck. Was it your intention to bolster my sympathy for them, Joseph?" he asked after a few moments of quiet contemplation._

 _"I wanted you to have all the information I can offer. I'm not going to lie to you, Don Giovanna. I sincerely hope you'll help us to stop Pucci. And if you can talk down these guys instead of fighting or, God forbid, killing them? Then that's even better. But Pucci brought those three for a reason. Dio has other children... a daughter in Scotland, another in India, a son who's currently in prison in Quebec. He had a habit of romancing women who were not native to Egypt, who would be leaving the country before... well, you know what I'm talking about."_

 _"Yes. However, you've yet to answer the most important question. Why should I trust you? Why would I not join with Pucci, to gain even more from his new world order?"_

 _Joseph was silent for a minute, staring placidly at the camera. "Because you're a good person."_

 _"That's what you're going for?" Giorno couldn't resist the smirk that appeared on his face. "Really?"_

 _"I've been keeping an eye on you. Your organisation might not be legal, per se, but... You've got standards, and I can appreciate that. All these years handling Stands and vampires, I've had to see more than just black and white. Not even grey, either, there's a whole kaleidoscope in between 'good' and 'evil'. And when it comes down to it, are you really willing to have someone rewrite your story for you?" the old man's grip on his cane tightened. "To just clear away everything you've achieved? Eleven years of your organisation, gone. Probably more, if he's going far back enough to resurrect Dio. So, Don Giovanna, are you giving up eleven years of work for your father's plan?"_

 _Giorno hummed quietly, pretending to weigh up the options. "I concede the point. We've worked too long, done too much, for me to feel comfortable eliminating that effort. This world is for me and mine, not my father's."_

 _"Well, I'll take what I can get at this point... Give me a minute to send you everything we have on Pucci. Jotaro made a few notes on what Dio'd planned..." Joseph looked away from the camera for a moment, shuffling through papers. "Don Giovanna... Giorno. Would I be correct in saying you know a man named Polnareff?"_

 _The gangster cocked a brow. "And if I did?"_

 _The old man let out a sigh. "Yeah, that's what I expected. Just tell him... Tell him I know he's alive, and I'd like to meet him again. We've lost enough friends already, without hiding from one another."_

 _Giorno held out a hand to close the device. "Thank you for the information, Mr. Joestar," he began, his expression shifting almost imperceptibly as he debated with himself. "...I'll let him know."_

 _The quiet click as he closed the laptop managed to fill the room._

 ** _OoOoO_**

"Wecht, you can handle the agents, circle back around to us!" Lee yelped, his army of hangers-on swarming around him and hiding him from view. "Hanson, you're better suited to fighting Higashikata than I am. So, could you, y'know, do that, please?"

"Hey, stop hiding in there!" Shizuka called, still invisible. "You coward!"

"'Zuka-!" Josuke hissed, before Crazy Diamond was forced to block a strike from Hanson's Stand. It was humanoid in shape, bright pink skin with blue 'armour' around its forearms, feet and torso. Ornate star designs marked the back of its hands, its chest, and face.

"Hope you're ready for Starbomb! You've never fought someone like me before!" Hanson announced, his Stand throwing its second fist forward into Crazy Diamond's chest, the star glowing brightly at the moment of impact. It didn't hurt as much as Josuke'd expected though- not that he didn't feel it, but it wasn't as strong a hit as it looked.

He slammed Crazy Diamond's arm through the pavement, bringing up a concrete slab and tossing it at Starbomb. "If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that..." The enemy Stand crossed its arms to block the attack, the slab hitting it with a dull 'thud' and bouncing to the side. "Hang on..."

"Hey! Don't throw things around like that!" Hanson yelped, as a loose chunk of stone smacked his leg. "Hey, I'm talking to y- FUCK!"

Josuke had darted forwards, closing the gap and allowing Crazy Diamond to throw his full form into a punch, hitting Starbomb in the chest with a soft 'THOOMPH' of displaced air. Hanson stumbled slightly, as though he'd bumped into something, but nothing else seemed to happen for a second.

"So... Your Stand prevents impacts, or at least, it reduces them to almost nothing," Josuke commented, rolling his shoulders and his neck as if to release the stiffness. "That makes this a little harder, but I can work with it."

"You- how did you- What?"

Josuke smirked. "How long have you had a Stand? A few weeks, right?" Not waiting for an answer, he sent Crazy Diamond forwards to let out a barrage of lightning-fast jabs and feints, each hit stopping Starbomb's movements for a fraction of a second. "I've been doing this shit for years."

"D-Doesn't m-m-matt-ter-er," Hanson stammered, his movements jerky as the smaller hits reflected from the Stand to the user. "I'm s-still gonna W-w-wi- FUCK YOU!" Starbomb lunged forwards with a punch of its own, cracking against Crazy Diamond's face and jerking his head to one side. It pressed forwards, another punch curving around from the side-

"DORAA!" Josuke grinned as Crazy Diamond twisted on the spot, catching the punch at the wrist and wrenching it behind Starbomb's back, grabbing the pastel-coloured Stand in a headlock as it did so. Hanson choked, feeling his shoulder strain and his air supply slowly cut off. Crazy Diamond pushed, his sheer strength forcing Starbomb, and Hanson by proxy, to its knees on the ground.

"Give up, and I won't have to pull your arm out of its socket," Josuke stated coldly. Lee and his entourage had moved away during the skirmish, and Shizuka was no doubt headed after them. "Your boss isn't worth this."

"I... said... FUCK! YOU!" Hanson snarled, Starbomb raising its free hand and punching the ground-

BOOM!

Josuke blinked, scrambling to his feet and coughing at the dust cloud that had burst up around his position. His arms were stinging, he could feel the bruises forming under the skin. Most concerningly, he no longer had Starbomb in his grasp.

"I warned you. _I'm_ the one who wins," Hanson's voice echoed across the new crater in the middle of the street. Josuke ducked to one side at the sight of a flash of colour in his peripheral vision, Crazy Diamond leaping to intercept Starbomb before. "Impact."

And Josuke felt the ground fall away.

 **OoOoO**

"Geoffrey, I want you to shut down their cameras. We can't run the risk of them seeing me on the footage," Cielo hissed, his two lieutenants standing ready next to his vehicle. "I mean it. We can't give them _any_ more clues. If Michael hasn't given it away yet, we have a chance to fix his mistake. Elle, start moving whoever's still here to the address I gave you. We have to assume this base is compromised."

"What about the ones working for Jackson? Are we keeping them?" Elle pressed. The wanted man had taken the few Stand users loyal to him into the city, but there was always a chance of them returning before the evacuation was completed.

"If they make it back in the next two hours, bring them with you. Otherwise, they'll have to fend for themselves," Cielo commanded, the claws and wings of his Stand vanishing into nothing as he entered the car. "And Elle?"

"Sir?"

"If anyone objects to the move, I expect you to handle them appropriately. Do I make myself clear?"

"...Perfectly clear, sir."

 **OoOoO**

Joel frowned at the phone in his hand, seeing the message from Harrison flash up on screen. _'Ned Backup ASAP. get Jostar 2 direct u.'_ He switched to the calls and listened impatiently to the ringing. "Mr. Joestar, I just got a message from Harrison. He needs backup, but I've got no idea where I'm going-"

 _"Head two blocks down and turn left, you'll see a building being renovated. The agents are somewhere inside. The others are on the move, I'll text you when I get a lock on their positions."_ Joseph answered, his voice croakier than normal. Forcing himself to use Ripple breathing for long periods was starting to put him under serious strain.

Joel darted across the next street, Piano Man throwing him upwards to help him jump over a taxi as it sped through the lights. "I thought this whole area was meant to be closed?"

 _"That's New York drivers for you..."_ the old man sighed, breaking off into a cough. Joel kept running as he waited for Joseph to catch his breath, Piano Man carefully diverting people and objects out of his path. _"Listen, be careful, all right? Don't put yourself into the middle of anything."_

"No promises, boss..." he mumbled absently as he arrived at the building in question, with several broken windows on the upper floors. "What do you want to bet that's our guys celebrating the win?"

Piano Man shot him an unimpressed look, gesturing upwards as a sound of splintering wood emanated downwards. "Yeah, alright..."

The Stand hovered up to one of the windows and wrenched it open. From inside, it lowered a length of cable for him to grab, slowly pulling him up and into the shadowy building.

He hadn't expected to find the two agents back to back in the middle of the room, with Jack bleeding profusely from the shoulder. "Kid! Watch out-!"

Piano Man popped out of the gloom to catch the knife before it landed in Joel's eye. The enemy, wearing a black full-face mask with only his eyes visible, glared at him and vanished with a huff of displaced air.

"Teleporter?" he guessed, Piano Man hovering over him protectively. He shut his eyes, focusing on what he could sense via his Stand. Shizuka had pointed out how little he understood the Stand, even now. If Piano Man could only hide something that no-one was looking at... then it could always tell _when_ someone was looking at the object.

"Raradee!" the monochrome spirit trilled, tossing random objects to meet the barrage of thrown knives from every angle. One made it through, just barely grazing Joel's leg as it flew past.

"He's got a million of those," Jack commented with a grimace. "Can't get a chance to grab him." The masked man reappeared mid-jump, his knee slamming into Piano Man, and he vanished again before the Stand could return the strike.

"Shit... Remind me what you guys can do?" Joel hissed, taking in their Stands in full for the first time.

Jack's blocked a trio of projectiles with the backs of its arms, letting them clatter harmlessly to the ground. The Stand was shorter than its user, but very bulky, looking like a stereotypical dwarf molded out of gold and silver, with a 'beard' that was more bronze. A large cylinder- a barrel, in fact, was attached to its back, slung acrross its shoulders. "Strange Brew combines multiple things into one object. It's only temporary, though, and it takes a minute to do it."

Harrison's Stand was taller and thinner, almost feminine despite the lack of any facial features. Its skin was pale grey, with chains encircling its torso. Its hands and feet were clad in oversized gauntlets and boots, much darker in colour, and its face hidden inside a similiarly heavy helmet. He hissed his answer as quietly as he could, eyes darting around for any sign of Wecht. "Iron Maiden can set a trap on anything she hits. They'll go off when they're touched. Doesn't work well on people, though..."

"Right..." Joel flinched as Piano Man caught a knife a few inches away from his face. "I think I've got a plan. Try and corner him, next time you see him." Piano Man held up a closed fist as it hovered a few feet ahead of them, Joel visibly relaxing when it opened its hand.

"He can teleport, how are we supposed to-?" Harrison started, before Joel cut him off with a hiss.

"He's not here. Piano Man can tell when people are looking at something. I don't know where he is, but I'll know when he's looking at me- Down!"

He threw Harrison to the ground when a knife appeared halfway towards the taller man, wincing when the blade screeched off his prosthetic and landed at his feet with a clatter. "I can hold him off as long as we need, Piano Man's fast enough to intercept him," he declared, watching the monochrome figure carefully.

The Stand opened its hand again. Joel nodded. "We can't plan while he's listening or he'll counter us. Jack, grab what you can and get ready. I've got an idea. We just need a minute to-" He stopped short, head whipping from one side to the other as Piano Man raised its fists. Silence fell over the trio for a few moments until they heard a small 'click' and then the sound of something rolling towards them.

Jack's eyes widened. "Is that a fucking grena-?"

BOOM!

 **OoOoO**

Josuke clenched his jaw tightly, his fingers clutching tightly to his saviour, an unused flagpole bolted to the wall of one of the high-rise buildings. His hand twitched, his left shoulder screaming in a manner he recognised as dislocation. At least he'd managed to arrest his sideways momentum before hitting a window or a wall. Judging the distance to the ground and the wall next to him, he let go and felt himself go into a freefall.

"Help me out here, D," he muttered, spectral grey and pink covering his arm as Crazy Diamond partially manifested around him. Thrusting out his good arm, the phantom mimicking his movements, he drove his arm into the brickwork to slow his fall to an awkward skid. It only took a few seconds for him to land on the sidewalk to confused stares, watching the stone flow back together like it had never been touched.

"Hey, welcome to New York," he drawled, trying to deflect attention away and staring down the street. He'd been knocked about three blocks down, maybe even four. He let Crazy Diamond grab his unresponsive arm, forcing the muscles to relax as much as he could. The Stand was more precise than any human, so while it wasn't necessarily a _great_ idea - " _Fuck!_ " - he could force the joint back into place with only a brief shot of pain.

"So, he's got a hell of a right hook to him. Good to know." He came in sight of the battlefield, now abandoned, with no sign of Hanson or of Lee. His phone buzzed in his pocket, a message from Shizuka.

 _'2 bloks E frm whr he got u they got a call 2 go 2 base.'_ He grunted and set off again, already planning for his second attempt.

He passed a few confused-looking women on his way, all of whom seemed lost. The distant sounds of a crowd, on the brink of a riot from what he heard, was enough to guide him closer and closer to his target-

"DORAA!" Crazy Diamond roared, deflecting Starbomb's punch so that it just barely missed Josuke's skull, but the flare of blue light that shot out from the attack still managed to send him spinning backwards, bouncing off the corner of a coffee shop.

"Man, you're a lot tougher than you look. I thought for sure that would've finished you off," Hanson frowned, as the crowd around them turned even more aggressive, Josuke stepping back as they postured and glared at him, specifically. "I'll have to beat you down again."

"Just try it." Josuke taunted, his eyes flicking past Hanson to see Lee, still surrounded by hangers-on. For the first time, though, he thought he caught a glimpse of the man's Stand, a blur of pink and white that disappeared behind the ringleader in a swirl of wind. Shizuka was nowhere to be seen... obviously, but he'd need to handle Hanson quickly.

Starbomb could handle impacts, and it obviously had some kind of enhancement to its strikes, that flare of blue when it attacked. But there was no such thing as a perfect ability. If he couldn't rely on pure force, then he'd have to use other kinds of 'power'.

"Hey! You want to take another trip to the skyline, jackass? I'm ready to go, let's fuckin' GO!" Hanson bellowed, Starbomb throwing a barrage of punches surrounded by blue light. Crazy Diamond was barely able to parry and dodge the assault, but one strike clipped its shoulder, Josuke skidding backwards across the asphalt as his injured shoulder tried to wrench itself out of its socket again. The follow-up was a powerful overhead strike, shining with a near-opaque light.

"DO-RAA!" Crazy Diamond shot its arm out, catching the punch at the wrist and twisting it downwards -

WH-THOOM!

Josuke rolled backwards as a wave of air slammed into him, small shards of asphalt raining down around him. There was a new crater in the middle of the road, straight through the street to the pipes and concrete below. Hanson was staggering to his feet as well, looking a little surprised by his own fall. Those unlucky members of the crowd who had approached the brawling pair were all knocked away, in various states ranging from 'slightly off-balance' to one unlucky girl who had obviously broken something from the way she was clutching her arm.

Looking at Starbomb, Josuke noticed something interesting. The stars adorning it were dull, nearly greyed out. "So that's it... You absorb the impacts and use that for those blasts. But you're out of juice right now. No ranged attacks for you."

"You wish, bro. Starbomb!" Hanson bellowed, his Stand echoing the call with a deep roar, pounding its chest like a gorilla. As Crazy Diamond threw itself forwards, Starbomb whipped its arms out and clapped, the resulting blast sending Josuke sliding back another few inches. Hanson grinned widely, waving for the crowd to move back out of his way. "Y'see, man? I can charge up by myself, whenever I need it. You can't touch me, not without making me stronger."

Josuke rolled his shoulder with a wince. "Let's see about that."

 **OoOoO**

Joel coughed, yanking his arm away from a knife that threatened to skewer his good hand. "Jack, Harrison, you guys okay? Keep going with the plan!"

"What fucking plan? He's got us pinned down in a deathtrap. We can't catch him," Harrison grunted, pulling himself up. "If Jack hadn't thrown Strange Brew on the grenade, we'd be in pieces already."

Jack was groaning on the ground, smoke drifting off the Stand beside him. "Ugh, remind me not to do that again..."

Broken ribs at a minimum, Joel noted grimly. The agent wasn't going to handle another barrage of attacks... or another grenade. He'd need to play distraction. "Just hold him here, I need a minute or two!"

" _Hold_ him-? Williams, where the hell are-?"

Joel was already moving, Piano Man concealing himself inside Joel's pocket and bringing out a few tools. Putting a plan together on the fly was always interesting, but he could manage it.

Probably.

He reached a staircase and darted upwards, keenly aware of the shuffling of displaced air that was following him at every corner. The rooms on this floor were full of loose floorboards, tins of paint and rolls of plastic sheeting. He just had to get a little further...

A knife tore through his shirt, cutting a thin red line along one of his ribs. He stumbled and rolled, landing between two stacks of planks and ducking down. Wecht reappeared a few metres away, his glare as sharp as the blade in his clenched hand.

"So, you got me. Dead to rights, or whatever the fuck they say. So what's your boss planning? World domination, right? That's what those kind of guys do," Joel drawled, smirking as the masked opponent cocked his head in silent question. "Come on, man, at least give me a monologue before you kill me. It's only fair."

Wecht spun on the spot, barely managing to avoid Piano Man's lunge out from the darkness. A knife found purchase in the Stand's thigh, sending the spirit retreating into the shadows. Wecht vanished in a blur, jamming the blade into the floor when Joel rolled desperately out of the way. His kick of retaliation didn't manage anything, since Wecht blurred away, perching on a stepladder like a gargoyle.

"I can't believe you fell for the distraction play, though," Joel continued with the smirk still plastered across his face. "I mean, I'm not even that good an actor, and you still let Jack and Harrison get away. Just 'cause I said I had a plan?" He chuckled, pulling his shirt away from the blood on his side. "You must feel really stupid."

Wecht started forwards, only to pause mid-step at the sound of crashing from below. He flickered away, a hazy image of his figure appearing at multiple points around the room and dropping small orbs before he vanished.

Joel scrabbled away as the first grenade went off, Piano Man getting thrown through the air from the shockwave. Wecht reappeared one last time, dropping a grenade less than two feet from the teenager's outstretched arm, and then vanished to the floor below as more explosions rang out.

He took a second to take in the sight of the two agents, one hoisting the other towards the exit. He flipped a knife over in his hand, adjusting his grip as best he could while he was hunched over, and then lunged, his blade aimed straight at Harrison's neck.

It skittered off with a screech. Harrison smirked, metallic flesh creaking awkwardly. "Well, what d'you know? Guess the kid was right about mixing people into your stuff."

"Guess so," Jack rumbled, his skin replaced with smooth wood. A knot at the corner of his mouth stopped him from mimicking the smirk. His arm shot out and clamped around Wecht's, Strange Brew amplifying his strength massively. "Gave you a new trick, too."

Wecht struggled to free himself as Iron Maiden appeared, chained arms swinging wildly to pummel the captive teleporter. Wecht let out a quiet growl and threw his weight backwards, pulling Jack with him as both of them vanished.

They reappeared in mid-air, with Wecht managing to loose himself halfway through the fall. He leapt through the air, landing with a quiet click a few metres away from Harrison as the latter fell prone- A pair of wooden jaws formed out of the floor as soon as he came to a halt, clamping around his leg and drawing blood.

He tore his limb free, only for Strange Brew to slam a fist into him and send him flying towards Iron Maiden's waiting arms. He twisted mid-flight, kicking the Stand in the face and leaping across to the wall-

He threw himself forwards when the vertical surface clicked as well, ducking and diving as concrete chains whipped out at him and knocked him to the floor. His shirt was torn apart by one that came too close to his neck, the collar shredded down past the shoulder. His glare intensified as he took in the two golem-esque Stand users flanking his position.

Another arm clamped around his neck, Piano Man bursting out of nowhere and attempting to strangle him. He still had one knife on him, and he jammed it into the arm that had grappled him, loosening the grip enough for him to shunt Piano Man away and ready another teleport.

Piano Man's other arm slid out of his shirt just as he began to blur out of reality, a small but dense object settling at his stomach just as he vanished in a whirl of air-

THOOM!

Joel staggered down to meet the other two after a few moments, scorched and coated with dust. "Did that get him? I wasn't sure if Piano Man got to him in time."

"Ugh... Yeah, I think so..." Harrison grunted, metal sheeting slowly oozing out of his skin and returning to its usual shape. "What the hell'd you do?"

"Just... gave him back a little something," Joel shrugged, though he seemed a little pale. "Listen, Jack still needs to be properly treated, and I've got to go catch up with Josuke. You think you'll be okay here until I send a car?"

"Yeah, we'll - We'll head back to help secure the Tower. Go help the others." Jack coughed, clutching at his chest with a wince. Joel nodded, already making his way past the pair and outside, dialling Josuke's number and listening to the ringing...

...

...No answer. Still, that didn't necessarily mean something was seriously wrong - He changed tack, calling Joseph instead as he made his way down the street...

...

...No answer.

"Shit."

 **OoOoO**

 **I know I said we'd see Cielo handle the situation, but this chapter is long enough already. Next time, though.**

 **New Stands! Many of them!**

 **Starbomb - Hanson**

Power; A - Durability; A - Speed; B - Precision; C - Range; D - Potential; C

Starbomb can absorb the kinetic energy from impacts it receives, and release the stored energy as kinetic pulses, or transfer the energy by touch to send a target flying.

 **NSP - Wecht**

Power; D - Durability; C - Speed; A - Precision; A - Range; C - Potential; A

Taking the form of a mask, NSP allows the wearer to teleport to any point in range, along with anything they are carrying.

 **Iron Maiden - Harrison Stephens**

Power; B - Durability; A - Speed; C - Precision; B - Range; D - Potential; C

By punching a solid surface, Iron Maiden can place a pressure plate-activated trap. These range from snares to bear-traps to clouds of dust and smoke.

 **Strange** **Brew - Jacob 'Jack' Daniels**

Power; A - Durability; B - Speed; B - Precision; C - Range; D - Potential; B

By placing objects or creatures within its barrel and shaking them, Strange Brew can temporarily fuse them into one, with a mix of their properties and capabilities. However, the more 'complex' the mixture, the more quickly it separates back into its component parts.

 **Other Stuff;**

 **Metacllica;** Shizuka can be a bit too arrogant about her family name, but it's mostly because of how much she wants to be a 'proper' part of the Joestar legacy. She gets better over time, I hope?

 **Joker wx;** Cielo's been putting this plan together for a looong time. He knew he'd need people in Japan and Italy for it to work, so he made sure he had them. George II should've gotten more screentime, he's the Joestar we know the least about.

 **The Cool Gamer;** It's not dead, I promise!

 **I swear the next chapter won't take anywhere near as long as this one did. Catch you next time!**


End file.
